An Imperial Lily
by jake111
Summary: Some would think it impossible for a Lily to bloom in the shadows of the Imperial City's intrigues. They would be wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**Sexual Themes, prudes beware.**

 **...**

The bed was warm, the sheets were silk, rays of sunlight filtered gently through the massive windows that covered one wall. The room was tastefully decorated, undoubtedly the work of a professional designer, but you could still see hints of the personality of the owner. A personal portrait that was just a little too over exaggerated, a sword and shield hanging from the wall far too over-embellished to be practical, a distinct lack of anything related to the owner's wife. Then again, I mused, he certainly did have something to compensate for. It all seemed to match quite well with my take on the man resting next to me, his head on my bare breasts.

He had a strange obsession with my breasts, even more so than most men. He'd spent half the evening sucking on them. It was erotic at first, but after twenty continuous minutes, it just became strange. Some kind of maternal obsession, perhaps, I could have sworn, during one of his climaxes, he'd screamed out 'mommy.'

I grimaced, that was one particular path of the mind that even I didn't wish to tread.

A knock came at the door, I'd insisted on an early wake up call. I had far more important things to do than lay with this man all morning, he'd served his purpose after all.

The man sat up and yelled groggily, "Leave us be you witless bitch, or I'll have your back whipped bloody."

"Now, now, my dear," I said soothingly. "She is only doing as I asked of her."

He turned back to me, his visage shifting from fury to lechery as he ran his eyes over my naked form. "Of course my lovely bell," he cupped one of my breasts, "what do you say, shall I ring you again, you make such a delightful melody." He grinned at his witless witticism.

I had to hold back from rolling my eyes as if I hadn't heard that line thousands of times before, and it hadn't been that clever the first time. I did a few quick calculations in my head, my morning salon wasn't for another hour, it would take a half hour to get to the temple, fifteen if traffic was light, ten minutes to make my morning prayers, and then fifteen to reach the villa. If I bathed and changed at the temple, I'd arrive just in time to be fashionably late.

I seductively looked him over once more. He'd take, at most, five minutes, and his favor could come in handy later. "Of course, anything for you my lord," I licked my lips, slowly running the tip of my tongue over the edges, all part of my standard routine.

I allowed him to mount me, making sure to let out an earthshattering cry and spasm slightly when he appeared ready to finish. I might as well be merciful and let him believe that he was at least successful twice. I was overoptimistic in my estimates, he rolled off of me, spent, after only two minutes. Normally disappointing, but at the moment, quite fortunate.

As I slipped off of his bed, he gave me a hard smack to the ass and a lecherous grin. "Enjoy your party my sweet bell, but we must have a repeat performance sooner rather than later"

If my father had seen that, he would torture this man to death. If he had done the same to my elder sister, she would have chopped his heads off, both of them. If he laid a hand on my baby sister, he would know a new kind of hell, that would be ensured by me if no one else. Me on the other hand…

I gave him a saucy little grin, well-practiced and perfected over time, and replied, "Of course my Count." Then I walked out of the room, making sure my gait had the appropriate sway to give him a bit of a show.

I dressed with the aid of a quivering young maid, though I didn't need the help. Still, it always paid to keep friendly with the servants, hence why I slipped her a beyond-above-average tip of ten septims.

My coach was waiting for me when I stepped from the gate of the Count's estate. My loyal coachman, or woman in this case, Cassiopeia held the door for me. "Have a good evening ma'am?"

"Fine enough Cassie, let us make haste." I stepped into the carriage and the Breton closed the door behind me, a moment later, we were off.

"So how was the Count?" Cassie spoke again, her voice coming from inside my own head. It didn't even surprise me anymore, between her and my baby sister, clairvoyant conversations were old hat to me at this point. Still, it was always good to have a loyal mage around.

"His performance was beyond sub-par, but I will give him credit for his capacity. He managed to finish a total of seven times, though not once did he manage to bring me to climax," I thought back. "I didn't even commemorate it to the Goddess."

Cassie was silent, she knew that not devoting an encounter to Dibella was the worst critique I could give of a bedmate. "Was he truly that terrible?"

I shook my head, "selfish, lazy, strange habits stemming from clearly unresolved issues with his mother, and entirely unreceptive to any form of guidance. Not to mention a distinct lack of, shall we say, restraint. By my count, the longest he lasted was ten minutes."

Cassie's laugh echoed in my mind, she was a touch cruel in regards to men. Not surprising given her past. "But I'm sure you made much use out of the time in between."

I had to laugh at that, "True, though his performance was abysmal, the conversation was most excellent. He spent the interludes attempting to cover his inadequacy with some very choice selections of information. If for nothing else, he is good for that."

Yes, I'd used the man. I would probably continue to use the man, just as I used many others. I'm certain that some would call me a slut, even more would call me a whore. But my father had built the most elite unit in the Imperial Legion by making use of the best skills that he and his troops were given. This was the best skill that I had been blessed with, and I made full use of it.

 **...**

 **Okay guys, I'm bouncing again, as I write this, I already feel the tug of another story brewing in my mind for Ghost Recon Wildlands. This is another part of the Skyrim story I'm working on, kind of a prequel to the main story. For another prequel to that, check out the Story I put out for christmas, Blessed Star, that deals with the actual future dragonborn.**

 **So tell me what you think, I'll have more for this one soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Standard Warning: Sexual themes ahead, prudes beware.**

 **...**

We arrived at the Temple of Dibella within fifteen minutes, Cassie had taken my request for haste to heart. As I stepped out of the coach, Cassie looked at me, "Would you care for me to join you in your prayers, ma'am?"

I had to grin at that, pervert, that was okay though, one of the reasons I liked her. "I'm sorry Cassie, any other time, certainly, but I'm afraid we're in a bit of a hurry today."

She nodded, any disappointment well hidden behind a professional mask. I stepped over and slapped her in the thigh, giving her a real smile, "Don't look at me like that, you know that I'll make it up to you."

She grinned back and I turned to make my way up the marble steps into the temple. I couldn't help but love Cassiopeia, she was always by my side, even though she knew that I could never give her everything she wanted out of our relationship.

As I stepped into the temple, the attendants welcomed me as they always did. I bowed to the Mother and exchanged the usual respectful pleasantries. The attendants helped me disrobe, only women were allowed in the inner sanctum and one had to be unclothed.

The inner sanctum was one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen, light from the stained glass windows bathed the room in a rainbow of reds, pinks, blues, and purples. Flames burned in braziers along the wall, reflecting off the smooth moonstone blocks and keeping the room comfortably warm and creating an almost cozy atmosphere. A long, knee deep, reflecting pool ran through the center of the room, from the entrance to the statue on the opposite end of the room. Murals depicting tales of the Goddess covered the walls over the braziers.

The true focus point in the room, drawing all eyes to it, was the statue of Dibella. It sat in an alcove, the windows focusing the light on it. The statue itself was one of the best renditions of the goddess I had ever seen. The stone carved and painted with such careful attention to detail that one could hardly distinguish it from flesh. It was that of an incredibly beautiful naked woman with long blonde hair, holding a bouquet of fresh lilies that were replaced daily.

I stepped into the pool, feeling the cool water flow over my skin. The gentle scent of lilies hit me as I waded across the room. A relaxed smile, unpolished and unpracticed, spread over my face as I stared up at my Goddess.

Some looked down on her, and her followers, but neither she, nor we, cared. She was a kind goddess, not judgmental like Mara, nor demanding like Akatosh, nor cold like my little sister's beloved Julianos. All she asked was that we open ourselves to her and to the joys of the world. She called for us to love ourselves and love each other, to take joy in the pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of the mind. She didn't call for blood, she called for art and beauty.

She was, is, my Goddess.

As I reached the end of the pool and stepped out, I felt a familiar feeling of warmth spread through me.

The Goddess was watching.

I fell to my knees and brought my head to the floor, touching my head to the stone. "Come to me, Dibella, for without you, my words must lie dull and leaden without the gilding of grace and sagacity to enchant the eyes and ears of those who wish to listen and see."

Then I came back up on my knees and leaned forward, planting a kiss on the statue's intricately detailed womanhood. As my lips came into contact with the statue, I felt a pressure on the back of my head, a hand gently holding me there. The power of Goddess flowed through my lips, into me.

Waves of pure pleasure wracked my body, but the ethereal hands held me firm, Dibella knew how much I could take. The ecstasy was more intense than any relations I'd ever had, and unlike a normal engagement, this never plateaued. It just kept growing and growing, the feelings kept building, becoming almost overwhelming, but I knew I had to hold on, to keep a firm grip on reality and not allow the rising tide of pleasure to engulf me.

A novice or an uninitiated would be overpowered within seconds, the Kiss of the Goddess too much for them to receive, but though not a priestess, I was far from uninitiated.

Finally, I couldn't hold on any longer, I let the tidal wave of pleasure sweep me away. The ethereal hands released me and I collapsed in a screaming, spasming, heap as multiple pent-up climaxes. My juices sprayed like a fountain as my screams of ecstasy subsided into gentle mewls until I was finally able to regain some measure of control over my body.

I managed to get to my feet, though a bit weak in the knees, I felt utterly refreshed. My mind felt sharper, my body felt stronger, and I felt like I could take on the world

Contrary to what many believe, Dibella, like all the Divines, does not have only one blessing to give, but rather many varied. Each dependent on all manner of things, such as levels of devotion, methods of worship, and even just one's personal relationship with the Goddess. Some blessings aided one's oratory, granting a sharper tongue and a quicker wit. Others aided in art, bringing inspiration quicker and granting a steadier hand. Still others aided one in more intimate pursuits, increasing dexterity, endurance, and… inspiration. Blessings could cure diseases, serve as a contraceptive, or even heal wounds. There were all manner of others, of course, far too many to list at once.

The most basic blessings of the Goddess could be gained by even the uninitiated, but the more complex, the more powerful blessings, one needed study and prayer and true devotion. The blessings were categorized by the priestesses based on the level of power they came with and the level of training and preparation before they could be earned. The lowest rank, for the uninitiated, being a daffodil, the highest, for priestesses and those of extreme devotion, being a lily.

No need to guess my ranking, I am the youngest woman in the Empire to have achieved the rank of lily and not joined the temple. It was a mark that made me the target of desire and the butt of jokes at every party I attended.

After composing myself, I made my way out of the sanctum and into the antechamber, where a pair of nude and nubile young attendants, girls really, they couldn't have been more than sixteen, brought me under a water rune that showered me in warm water and aided in my bathing. With practiced swiftness, they lathered scented soaps all over me and anointed me in sacred oils. When I emerged from the shower, my skin shown under the brazier light and I smelled of lilies. The two attendants dressed me in the clothes that Cassie must have brought in, making sure to kiss my feet as they put my shoes on, the sign of respect in recognition of my higher rank. They were merely roses, a mid-level rank, though quite impressive for their age, that earned them the honor of bathing the initiated.

Properly attired, I bid the priestesses farewell and stepped out into the sunlight. Cassie was, of course, awaiting me outside. In all outward appearance, she seemed a consummate professional, calmly holding open the door to my carriage. The thoughts that she was projecting at me, were anything but. A tiny smirk had settled on her face, no doubt fueled by her thoughts on my current outfit.

 **...**

 **Okay guys, second chapter, I did this one pretty quick.**

 **Sorry if I got kind of infodumpy about Dibella and the Divines, but my main goal for this chapter was to show my interpretation of the Divines in the Elder Scrolls series. One thing that always frustrated me was the fact that there wasn't really any sort of cleric class or divine magic, something I intend to change for my story.**

 **Tell me what you guys think.**

 **Later people.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was a bit shorter and lighter than the current fashion of dresses, a bit more revealing, but still tasteful enough. I pecked her on the cheek as I climbed up into the carriage, "Pervert," I shook my head, I checked my watch, a Dwemer artifact that my sister had pulled out of a ruin somewhere in Morrowind. Since I had taken to wearing one, they'd become a bit of a fad in the upper echelons of the nobility, something my sister abhorred because it sent amateurs digging around her ruins without proper training or care.

According to the device, I'd used up any time we'd made up thanks to the light traffic. I'd partially expected that, Dibella is not a goddess for quick stops, she is a goddess that savors her relations with her followers. Still, "We'd best hurry along," I thought to Cassie. She obliged and pulled the coach onto the road. I settled back into my seat and started on the pile of papers awaiting me, again, gathered by Cassie during my prayers.

The first was a report detailing our current finances, very strong of course, no real changes but a daily update was a matter of course more than anything. The next was the final property transfer form for some land that I'd picked up, it was worthless now, but once the aqueduct project passed the Elder Council, it would be rich fertile land that would guarantee a massive return on my investment. The aqueduct project was ostensibly supposed to die on the Council table, hence why the land had gone for so cheap.

Then again, Dibella was also the Goddess of creativity, and some creative nudges to the right people on my part had turned the project from a dead proposal into a certainty. The next report was a request from one of the merchant houses we controlled for capital to invest in the long term sourcing of some type of fish that was considered a delicacy of Hammerfell and was being served at all of the major banquets right now. I'd tasted it, it was abysmal, the only reason it was being eaten was because the Countess of Chorrol and her cadre had claimed it to be a flavor that only those of a refined palate could enjoy. No one wanted to admit it tasted horrible and run the risk of appearing uncouth, hence it became a fad. Something new would replace it within a month.

I set that aside, scribbling a note in the margin to remember to write a polite refusal later. Another was an update from a small initiative that I was funding. A small research collective of mages, herbalists, farmers, and alchemists working on methods to restore land in Morrowind that was destroyed after the Red Mountain eruption. They still weren't having much success, but it was a no lose situation, my investment was tiny relative to most I made, it cost me almost nothing. If they were successful, it would be an astounding profit, if they weren't, they still might discover something of value, failing that, it still made for more allies that could come in handy later.

There latest idea involved a massive windstorm to blow the ash away, they were confident that with enough resources, they could do it. The problem was finding a way to keep it from blowing away the topsoil as well. I made a note to make another contribution and to speak with Larius, the head of the project to discuss other possibilities. At worst it would prove an interesting conversation.

This was what I did. Father and Laelia went off to war for the empire, little Aurelia dug history out of one ruin after another, and I played the games of coin and court to keep everything running smoothly. It was a job I inherited from my mother. Antonetta Gavius, scion of a merchant family, Factor of the East Empire Trading Company, Devout of Dibella. She had handled the family finances before me, using father's glory and her own wit to secure a seat on the board of the EETC, raising our family's wealth to a truly obscene level, and granting my father three brilliant daughters if I do say so myself. It was this last task that proved too much for her.

And since her passing, the duty fell to me.

I was pulled out of my ruminations by the jolt of the stopping carriage. Cassie opened the door and I stepped out onto the street in front of the Porticus of Lady Livia Cerona, niece of the Count of Skingrad, and fellow Devout of Dibella, the affair was ostensibly to raise money for young up and coming artists, it was the duty of the Devout to aid in the creation of beauty whenever possible after all.

"Will you be needing anything further for the event my lady?" Cassie's face was the picture of a devoted servant, very well masking what the fact that she was really asking me if I would be needing her to perform any of the usual black bag antics that accompanied these events. Theft, assassination, espionage, the usual background for these sorts of events.

"No, that shouldn't be necessary, it is my understanding that this is to be a simple get-together of friends." Translation, there weren't going to be any real power players there except for Livia and myself, thus there was no need for the usual behind-the-scenes work that usual occurred at these things.

Cassie nodded and took the carriage, presumably to go and share a skin of wine with the other coachmen. Gossip was like currency in the circles I travelled in and I never missed an opportunity to pick up an extra bit. Servants with a bit of wine in them could spill all sorts of interesting things.

I approached the entrance, this was an informal affair so there was no herald to introduce me, only two armed guards to keep the riff-raff out. After a cursory look at my invitation, they escorted me into the gardens where the affair was actually being held.

Almost as soon as I had set foot into the gardens, I heard her, "Bella!"

A second later I was wrapped in the tight embrace of a slightly shorter girl, an embrace that I returned whole heartedly. She went up on her toes to kiss me. "It's good to see you too Livie, I'm so sorry that I missed your twenty first, there was a situation in Sentinel that required my personal attention." I pulled away slightly and planted a kiss on both of her cheeks. "The Crowns and the Forebears," I said, shaking my head, "You know how it is."

She didn't actually, the girl had never been outside of Cyrodiil. It was a firm reminder of just how little my parents had sheltered us in comparison to other nobility. Granted Livia had been more sheltered than most. But my international experience was one of the things that Livia admired about me, and a little push on my more admirable aspects never hurt.

She stared at me, "Don't worry about it, you'll have to tell me everything. I did miss you though." Her doe eyes went wide with awe, how in Dibella's name would this girl survive at court without me.

"I missed you too, and I will, later." I released her and surveyed the guests, "But for now I have to work the crowd." I spun her by the shoulder, "And for that matter so do you." I gave her a gentle push on the rump, sending her off with a giggle.

I shook my head, a little more sincerity slipping into my smile. Unlike many of my political allies, I actually liked Livia. There was something about her innocence and awe of everything at court that I found rather refreshing. I'd initiated her into the Devout myself, so I suppose I felt a touch of protectiveness toward her.

The crowd was mostly made up of Livia's circle, nobles too old to be considered children anymore but too young to have any real responsibilities. Thus their parents handled all of the matters of importance while they played their own smaller version of the game. Livia herself was only a real player due to the passing of her parents in the last bout of the Red Death, leaving her to run their estate.

None of her friends held any real power, but they were good for gossip and entertainment. And the children of the powerful had much looser lips in the presence of a person of experience and scandal such as myself. Thus I made my way through their little cliques gaining their attention with an anecdote or a cutting witticism and picking up bits of knowledge out of their grumblings about their parents and their attempts to impress me in return.

And there was plenty to be gleaned from that, Lady Gratillin denied her son a trip to Elsweyr, meaning she was in trouble with the Skooma cartels again. Lord Krexer wouldn't allow his daughter to use the family summer home for her twentieth, so he had likely had another conjuring misadventure and was hiding it there. The son of the high priestess of Mara's temple in the Imperial city had apparently caught his mother in bed with a priestess of Dibella. I had to hold back laughter at that, we have much more effective ways of conversion than other Devout of the Divine. Particularly interesting was Lord Cedonia apparently demanding his eldest son take up more responsibilities of the family's seat on the EETC.

"Lady Augustus." The voice interrupted me as I was in the middle of regaling an enraptured cluster of nobles with the story of how I convinced a werelion to become the bodyguard of the merchant whose trade routes he'd been menacing. All lies of course, my oath of secrecy on the real story still holds for another five years.

I turned to see a young man, slightly older than the rest of this crowd, probably a year or two younger than me. He wore the exquisitely tailored clothing of high nobility, but appeared quite awkward and uncomfortable in them. He stood, most likely without noticing himself, at parade rest. The top of a tattoo of the sigil of Akatosh poked out of his collar. An educated guess, he was a junior officer fresh back from a posting abroad.

"Yes praefect?" He seemed taken aback for a moment, but regained his composure with admirable quickness.

"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a moment. A painter under my family's patronage recently finished a piece depicting the victory of the Fourteenth Legion at the Velothi Pass. He included the aid that the Vi Tempestatis provided, and I thought you might enjoy a private viewing." I offered him a sweet smile, he really wasn't good at this, his weak justification to get me alone was almost adorable.

I saw no reason not to see where this went, "I would love to see this." I made my apologies and joined the young officer in walking out of the gardens into a small side room with two couches placed across a table from each other. Without being told, I sat on one of the couches. On the table sat a carafe of coffee.

And on the opposite couch sat the Count of Bravil.

...

 **This one's a bit longer, but we're picking up steam pretty well.**

 **Other than that, just R &R guys**

 **Later people.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise your grace." I poured myself a cup, I'd abstained for most of the party, but I had a fair suspicion that this was going to be a business meeting.

"Good afternoon Lady Augustus, I apologize for the deceit." He waved in the direction of the Praefect, who had settled into a position in the corner where he could keep an eye on the door and stop me if I tried anything. "My nephew approaching you garners much less attention than if I did so myself."

"I take no offense Count Terentius. Now, shall we get to business." The count of Bravil would not arrange a meeting with me unless he needed something.

"Straight to the brass tacks then, I can respect that." He poured himself a cup of the steaming hot liquid. "I'm afraid that I've been forced to remain in the Imperial City for the past few months to handle a number of legislative and economic matters."

I was aware of this, he'd been trying to push through a number of public works and tax incentives to stimulate the local economy of Bravil. From what I understood, the county was currently in a bit of valley economically, not enough to be a lasting depression, but enough that action was needed. That wasn't what he wanted to talk about though, he'd succeeded in driving those motions through.

He continued, "These past few months have been difficult, especially with my dear wife at home, keeping court in Bravil." His cheeks turned a slight shade of red.

Ahh, now it was clear. "And have you found a companion to ease this burden?" The count nodded somewhat sheepishly, I almost laughed. "And this companion, has there been an indiscretion between the two of you that will yield a much larger, albeit likely adorable, indiscretion in a few months."

The count nodded again, "Her name is Alessia Jadus, I've offered to pay her off, an astounding fee, triple what she charges for an evening." He was a fool, at least in this regard, having the child of a count was worth far more than three sessions. Still, I didn't interrupt. "Still, she refuses, she claims that she is utterly smitten with me and refuses to deny our love. My wife cannot learn of this, her heart would be shattered." He returned my gaze, "I was hoping, considering your… expertise on the matter, you'd be able to help."

I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. "You are, of course, referring to the fact that I own a number of brothels, or perhaps the trial I underwent in devotion to Dibella."

The Goddess herself had appeared to me in a vision and offered me a chance to prove my devotion and earn her highest blessings. I had to give up everything and serve as a prostitute, practicing her arts and spreading love and her faith until I had proven myself. I accepted and went into the waterfront district as naked as the day I was born. I found work in a licensed brothel there and survived with nothing but my beauty and feminine wiles. For six months, I plied my skills, developing them in the streets, the brothel common room, my personal quarters there, and in personal appointments, serving men and women alike and spreading the ways of Dibella to all.

It had earned me the shock and disgust of many nobles, but it had also earned me the highest respect and blessings of the Goddess. Looking back, I would do it over again without a second's hesitation, it made me a Lily, and that was something to be proud of. The Count nodded, once again sheepish, "I meant no offense my lady, but yes. I would be willing to pay of course."

I shook my head, "I have no need of additional wealth your grace. I would gladly help you, but in return I shall expect a favor from you in return at some point, one without restriction."

That gave the count pause, what I was asking for was no small thing. If he agreed, it meant that I could call upon him for anything, with the explicit guarantee that holy fire would rain down upon him should he refuse. I was expecting resistance, and I got it. "My lady, surely you could be more specific, a push for the aqueduct project on the Elder Council perhaps?"

I let my smile show some teeth, a well-practiced movement that subtly shifted my expression from pleasant to predatory. "Your grace, I'm well aware of just how important this issue is to you. If this affair becomes public, you have a very limited set of options." I counted them off on my fingers as I spoke, "You could acknowledge the child as your own, though your wife will likely leave you considering that you have yet to have children with her and this would make your lovechild your heir."

The count winced at the idea, I pressed the advantage. "However, if you do not acknowledge him, you will have a temple problem. Your city is already unstable and the Devout of Mara are one of the few things holding it together. If they turn against you, it is likely that you will be ousted from your seat." I cocked my head to the side, "Good for your wife though I suppose, the faithful of Mara are likely to rally around a scorned wife."

A dark look passed across the man's face, presented with those options his mind had gone exactly where I'd thought it would. "Or of course, though I know a man of honor such as yourself would never dream of this, you could attempt to have this woman killed before she could bear your child to term."

I dropped the smile from my face for added effect, "As a Devout of Dibella and knight of the Order of the Lily, I could never allow this to happen, and doing so would force me to bring the full wrath of the Order down upon you." Dibella was patron and protector of prostitutes and lovechildren. And her order of knights, though less well known than other orders, was very much a force to be reckoned with, even moreso now than ever before, with well connected young noblewomen filling it's ranks.

I'd backed the count into a corner, and he knew it. "I can see your point my lady, I agree to your terms." His once-confident eyes were now pleading, "I beg of you, make this problem disappear."

I nodded, smiling, "Of course my lord, I'm sure that I can arrange an accord that will satisfy all parties."

The count nodded sullenly, knowing he'd been beaten, also knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. With that business concluded, I made my exit back to the party.

Maybe it was my father's training, or a gift from the Goddess, or perhaps it was just intuition, but when I returned to the gardens, something felt… off. I scanned the courtyard, my senses suddenly heightened in preparation, something was about to happen.

Then I saw it, a servant, or more accurately a man in servant's clothes, walking a little too purposefully toward Livia. The young noble was engrossed in conversation and didn't notice him, I moved to intercept the man. As we drew closer to one another, he noticed me as well, and he dropped all charades, charging Livia at a dead sprint, drawing a blade as he did so.

I wasn't large enough to stop him physically, but I didn't need to. I grabbed his free arm and whispered an invocation of the Goddess. He broke my grip immediately, but it was too late. Before he could get any closer to Livia, his knees buckled and he collapsed with a loud moan. He lay on the ground writing and squirming and moaning, it would have proven hilarious were it not now painfully obvious what he was there for and how close he'd come to accomplishing it.

One of the blessings granted by Dibella to her most faithful was the ability to give someone a world shattering climax with a mere touch and an invocation. Not inherently combat oriented, but as demonstrated by the incapacitated assailant before me, easily weaponized.

I was about to move to interrogate the man when an orange glow emerged under his clothing. I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Get back!"

Charging Livia myself, I shoved the girl back and landed on top of her, shielding her smaller frame and whispering another invocation of the Goddess. A second later, flames washed over use, held back by the Goddess's ward.

The blast only lasted a few seconds, and when I looked up, I saw that the majority of the young nobles had followed my command and come through unscathed, the few that were injured though, were injured badly. The guards on the outside had charged in, rather unnecessarily at this point. Far more useful was Cassie rushing over to us.

I passed Livia, still in shock, over to her. Cassie, for her part, needed no direction, she took Livia and shepherded her out of the courtyard to one of the side rooms. With her in the most capable hands possible, I set about doing my duty as a Devout.

Starting with the most severe cases, I didn't even bother attempting to heal them with my own skills. I knelt over them, praying to the Goddess for her mercy. The burns healed, the blackened skin returning to its normal pallor and screams of pain turning to gentle moans as the Goddess healed their wounds and buried the pain under gentle waves of pleasure. There were one or two cases that I handled with my own restoration magic. Magic was more the domain of my baby sister, but the temple had ensured my proficiency in all forms of healing.

It was good for all of these young nobles to see this side of worshiping Dibella, and good for them to see me doing it. Those who I had healed would remember who had saved their lives, as would their parents. Even if it bore no short term gain, it would be a long term boon.

With that situation handled, I left the guests in the hands of the freshly arrived clusters of guards and servants. Making my way across the gardens, I slipped into the side room that Cassie had sequestered herself and Livia in. Cassie was attempting to comfort the shocked girl, but as soon as I was in the room, Livia threw herself at me in tears.

I embraced the poor girl and stroked her hair. "Shh, the first one is always the hardest," I cooed. It was true, the first assassination attempt was always a mix of terror and shock that left you a mess for days or even weeks afterward, even moreso for an emotional girl like Livia. By the fifth, you were used to it. After the eighth, you were bored by it. After the fifteenth attempt, you could almost call yourself a connoisseur of attempts on your life. At last count, I was at thirty two and a half.

"He… I.. he c-would've killed me," she stammered. "You saved my life Bella," the rest of what she said was incomprehensible as she buried her head in my chest and sobbed. I let her cry herself out, whispering comforting words while Cassie stood nearby, watching for a second attempt. She wasn't good with moments like this, not genuinely at least. If Livia were a mark, Cassie could play the role of Comforting Friend perfectly, but genuine sympathy was hard for her.

When her sobs finally died into silence, I pushed her away, holding her by the shoulders at arms-length, "Don't worry Livie, I'll take care of all of this, just go about your day as usual."

I looked to Cassie, of course she'd already anticipated my needs as she always did. "I sent an urchin the moment I heard the explosion. Five gold Septims to go, five when our people arrive." That was generous, an urchin could eat for a week on that. Once again, knowing what I wanted before even I did, she made for the door, "I'll go check on that."

I looked back at Livia, "Like I said, just do what you'd normally do, and listen to my people. They'll keep you safe." I gave her a quick kiss and turned her over to the two Tempestatis legionnaires, a Breton and an Orc.

With Livia secure, I slipped out into an alley behind the Porticus where Cassie was already waiting with the carriage. "To the slums?" Cassie's voice came telepathically through my mind.

I nodded, climbing into the carriage. "To the slums,"

...

 **Okay guys, I might be playing fast and loose with the economics and politics of the Elder Scrolls world, I'm not entirely sure. This isn't like Dragon Age where there's a codex for everything, so most of my info is from personal experience and the wiki.**

 **Other than that, read and review guys.**

 **Up next: The slums, the whores, and the secrets.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Beware prudes, there be sexy lesbian action ahead.**

...

I suppose it was a happy coincidence, if you could choose to call it that. I happened to know the courtesan that went by that name. The count was a fool for assuming that was her real name, one did not use their real name when one is pursuing the oldest profession with a noble of that caliber. And I also knew just the man to see about exploding assassins. "To the Waterfront," I thought back in agreement.

As the carriage rumbled forward, I closed my eyes and turned my thoughts to my next move. The matter with the Count of Bravil's lover was trivial, I could handle it without leaving my villa. This matter with the assassins on the other hand, that could be a problem.

My own personal affection for her notwithstanding, Livia was a powerful ally. The Count of Skingrad was unmarried, his wife having passed in attempting to give birth to a son, the child dying in the process as well. With Livia's father dead, that left Livia as his only legal heir. The count himself was ailing and bedridden, a wasting disease that the Empire's best physicians had informed me was likely to take his life within the year. His death would make Livia the Countess of Skingrad. Skingrad was currently one of the wealthiest counties in the Empire, second only to the Imperial City itself, this made her a political force.

As the only living heir to the familial line, if she were to be killed, there would have to be a County election for a new candidate who would have to be approved by the Elder Council before being proclaimed Count of Skingrad. As it stood, the most likely candidate was the count's steward, a lifelong friend of the current count. He was a native, with enough respect from the people that he would likely win the election, and his years of service rendered him too qualified for the council not to approve.

But I'd met the old bastard, he didn't have it in him to make a play on Livia. The man had the guile, but not the ruthlessness. He was old fashioned, believed in looking someone in the eye when you killed them. He wouldn't send an assassin, he might not have liked Livia, but he wouldn't kill her.

The same could be said of the count himself, he was a crotchety old prick with a policy agenda that the belonged in an old tale, but he wasn't a kinslayer. Maybe the steward's wife, or one of his children, hoping to jump the barrier into high nobility.

I shook my head, there wasn't a point to jumping to conclusions now. I'd have my answer once I'd gotten my hands around the old rat's throat and started squeezing.

I tried to relax as the carriage trundled over the bridge to the Waterfront, the poor districts, where any vice could be satiated. It was here that you could find beggars, thieves, assassins, whores, a combination of the four, criminals and outcasts of all stripes. If it was frowned upon by decent society, you could find it here. I owned a number of establishments here, as I found it useful to keep solid connections with both the reputable and disreputable sides of the Empire.

As we passed, I could feel Cassie's awareness of the dozens of eyes falling on us. Some did so out of simple curiosity over a clearly wealthy individual coming to the slums, others with far darker reasons. Her, I wouldn't call it anxiety, readiness perhaps, seeped from her mind into mine and I found my hand slipping up my skirt. My fingers running along the blades that were strapped to my thighs. Beneath that, I could feel something darker emanating from her mind, wishing they would try something, wishing that they would mistake the predator for prey.

I was never quite sure how to handle that part of Cassie.

It didn't take long for us to arrive at the Flaming Rose, a rather familiar sight for me. This had been my home for six months, here I plied the Dibellan arts for my trial under the direction of Madame Theodora Afron. The Madame was a fellow Devout and she'd welcomed me into her house as one of her own.

Cassie opened the carriage door and helped me out onto the graveled road, more for appearances than anything else. She would hunt down the rat while I handled the business with the Count of Bravil's companion.

Walking into the Burning Rose was like stepping into a memory. The scent of lilies was almost overpowering, it had to be in order to cover the other smells of sweat and sex. Women of all races were spread about the room, naked from the waist up, with transparently thin bolts of cloth hanging from their hips. A lily in the hair distinguished the courtesans from the customers. A small band played in the corner, clothed in nothing but their song. The Rose was one of the more upscale establishments in the district, catering to a wide array of tastes and clientele.

An older woman, wearing only slightly more than her charges, sashayed towards me with a wide smile on her face. She was no less beautiful than her youngers, though her hair had grayed slightly and laugh lines curled up from her shapely lips, her beauty had aged like a fine wine, only growing in sophistication and elegance. She didn't speak to greet me, merely placed one hand on my hip and wrapped the other around the back of my head to pull me in for a kiss. Her tongue slipped between my lips, I closed my eyes and accepted it submissively. Her tongue didn't so much explore my mouth as conquer it, her hand on my hip pulled me closer, pressing her body against mine. This continued for a few minutes, until she gently eased out of the kiss.

"Bella my dear, it's been too long since you made time to visit." She playfully pinched my bottom, clearly enjoying the way I bit my lip to keep from yelping. "Are you here for business or pleasure, or," she waggled her eyebrows shamelessly and touched the lily in her hair, "a bit of both?"

"Business I'm afraid Madame Theodora," I dipped my head demurely. Madame Theodora was the only person I'd ever met with a more thorough mastery of the practical Dibellan arts than myself. Whereas the priests of the temple were introspective and focused on developing and understanding our relationship with the Goddess, Theodora preferred bringing the Goddess to the people, I suppose that other religions would call her a cleric. "I need to speak to Vanari."

Theodora let out an overdramatic sigh, "Ah fine, she's up in her room, I don't think she has a client right now." She gave me another pinch on the bottom, the other cheek this time, and pulled me into a tighter hug. This had the additional, and deliberate I'm sure, effect of smothering my face with her chest, reminding me that she was also the only woman I'd met in my adult life with bigger breasts than me. Holding me there, she launched a new barrage of pinches on my bottom. Then she released me, her eyes sparkling as she giggled like a school girl, the expression taking ten years from her appearance.

I rubbed my sore derriere and shook my head, "You have a strange obsession with my rear."

That amused Theodora even more, "it's your own fault for having such a nice bottom my sweet, nice and bouncy, perfect for pinching and spanking." She stopped giggling, settling on a sparkling grin with more than a small bit of warmth. "I am serious though my dear, you must come again soon. I must ensure that your skill in the Lady's arts is still up to snuff. Can't have those cloud-heads at the temple dulling your edge, Lady Dibella taught us her arts so we could use them and spread her love to all, not sit in a temple and preach to ourselves."

"I will, and my edge is sharp as ever." Madame Theodora and the High Priestess had a long running feud over that issue. The High Priestess felt our duty was to develop ourselves and those who were meant to follow the Goddess would come on their own, Madame Theodora felt our duty was to spread Dibella's love and that we couldn't rely on fate alone to do it for us. It was an argument found in all religions, which was more important, the spiritual or the physical?

"I'll be the judge of that young lady, when I send a message to your home next, I will expect you naked and collared in my bed that night, ready for a full exam." she released the embrace and sent me off with a quick spank to my bottom, catching me by surprise and eliciting the desired yelp. "Now off with you, I'll have Telain bring up some tea," she commanded, giggling once more.

I did as I was bid, climbing the staircase to the second floor with a grin and a chuckle. Theodora was an acquired taste, but you had to love her. At the top of the stairs was a set of glass armor, elegantly crafted with an extremely detailed image of the Goddess carefully etched into the breastplate and intricate designs of lilies curling around the arms and legs. It was Theodora's armor as a Knight of the Lily. I owned a similar set.

Walking through the second floor corridor, all one could hear was the music and massed conversation drifting up from downstairs. The rooms themselves were heavily enchanted to keep all of the sounds one could expect of a brothel from slipping out. Finding my way to a door near the end, I opened it to find the woman I was there to speak with, naked, with an Altmer girl who could have been seventeen or seventy, also naked. The Altmer's head was buried between Vanari's legs, Vanari's hand rested on the back of the girl's head.

"Am I interrupting something?" I smirked.

Vanari looked at me through half open eyes, the Altmer's head moved to look at the newcomer, but Vanari's hand pulled her back, and with a slight shrug of her shoulders went back to her task. Focus, that was a good trait to have in that line of work. "No, just training one of the new girls."

"You always did enjoy that particular duty." Vanari was an older woman, younger than Theodora, but older than many of the girls, being in her mid-thirties. She'd been a courtesan since she was sixteen, as such, she served as a kind of instructor along with the Madame and a few of the other older women.

"It wasn't so long ago that you were in this girl's position. I taught you a few things didn't I." I nodded, conceding that point. "I have to pass on my skills in the Lady's Arts."

"Fair enough," I found a seat on one of the couches that were spread around the anteroom of Vanari's suite. The rooms in the Rose were actually suites of three or four, two or three girls were assigned to each suite while senior members got suites to themselves.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Psythia, if you would be a dear and accommodate Lady Augustus, she is a Lily after all." The Altmer, Psythia, withdrew and crawled across the room to kneel before me. She bent low and planted a kiss on both of my feet, a true submissive considering how naturally it seemed to come.

I paused for a moment, Psythia was a typical Altmer, a very small build but she would much taller than me were she standing. Her skin was as gold as a septim with long blonde hair tucked behind pointed ears to match. "How old are you?" if she was being trained, it meant she was of age. Theodora would take in children, but they weren't allowed to serve as courtesans, at least until they were sixteen.

Psythia looked up at me with her almond-shaped yellow eyes, her face still covered in Vanari's juices, "Twenty-two my lady." Twenty-two, a child in the eyes of Altmer society, but a full grown adult by the Empire's standards. She was still looking at me with those eyes, so eager to please. "May I serve you my lady?"

I nodded, I hadn't come here for this, but why not? There was no point in disappointing the girl. "Of course my dear."

My permission given, the elf carefully removed my underclothes and ducked her head underneath my skirt, then proceeded to attack her task with gusto. She was likely new to the faith of Dibella, but she most likely knew the ranks of the faith by now, and was eager to impress one so highly placed as myself.

I leaned back and laid my hand on the girl's head, idly stroking her hair as she went about pleasing me. "Hmm," I purred, "That's a good girl." I turned my attention to Van, "She's been studying chapter six of the Arts."

Van nodded, smirking, "I'm sure you didn't come here just to socialize and enjoy some company. You can get the latter from Cassie."

I didn't often conduct meetings with a cute Altmer between my legs, something that this particular Altmer was fast convincing me that I should remedy that, but it changed little. "The Count of Bravil."

That told her all she needed to know, and she burst into laughter. Just as I thought, "From your reaction, I take it that you're not totally smitten with him."

Van paused, looking at me with tears of laughter, "Smitten… with that little bastard. I should go into theater."

"I thought as much, he's not truly your type, now is he?" I chuckled as I said it. "You don't actually think you can actually get him to ackowle-ah," Psythia hit the sweet spot and stayed there. I held up a finger to tell Van to give me a moment and used my other hand to press on the back of the Altmer's head.

"Agghh," I tensed, locking her head between my thighs and forcing her face deeper into me. I threw my head back, "By the Goddess." I rode the high as long as I could, hitting my peak and gently descending with a long sigh, "Ahhh." I coated the elf's face in my juices, which she happily lapped up.

I shook my head, dragging me out of the post-climax haze and forcing myself back to the business at hand. "You can't actually think he'll acknowledge your child Van."

Van shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not, but I certainly wasn't going to take his offer." She spoke the last word like she was spitting out an insect. Understandable, for someone of Van's caliber, such a low offer was a grievous insult.

"I know, but I think I have a counteroffer that will suit both of you, you more than him." I won't pretend to be impartial, my first priority was always my own interest and the interests of those I cared about.

At that moment, a young Bosmer entered. She was dressed conspicuously more modestly than other women in the Rose, wearing a simple white knee length tunic with embroidered lilies on the shoulders. She carried a tray and a tea set, Telain actually was a child, barely nine, seven years away from being offered the chance to train in the more erotic of the Dibellan Arts.

She bowed to the Van and I, "Lady Vanari, Lady Augustus, Madame Theodora thought you might enjoy some tea." If the sight before her affected her at all, she didn't betray it.

"It's nice to see you again Telain, thank you for the tea, but I'm afraid Lady Van and I are discussing business. If you wouldn't mind leaving us for a bit." Telain turned to me, she had a set of penetrating brown eyes that seemed to bore right through you. Guilt always tore at my heart when she did that.

The wood elf had a seriousness about her that didn't fit with her youth, "Of course my lady."

On an impulse, I reached out and touched her shoulder. "Cassie…" I paused swallowing the lump in my throat, "Cassie should be close by, at the bookshop if you want to see her."

Telain nodded, "Thank you Lady Augustus." Then she was gone without another word.

Van's eyes stared at me sympathetically, even Psythia looked up from her task in confusion. I didn't think she would ask questions, but just to be safe…

I didn't bother whispering this time, I spoke the invocation of Dibella in a loud, melodic, tone. The energy came into me and I pushed it out through the palm of my hand into the Altmer. I locked my legs around her head again as Psythia was hit with an utter tsunami of pleasure, more to keep her quiet so I could carry on my conversation than anything else, though the feeling of her moaning into me was rather pleasant.

With Psythia pre-emptively silenced, I turned my focus back to business once more. In truth, I was allowing far too many things to distract me from my job. Van sipped at her tea, "You were saying that you had a counteroffer."

I refocused, "The count's brother passed away recently, he was a notorious playboy. On a whim, you two had a quickie wedding at a shrine of Mara when you learned you were pregnant. It likely would have ended disastrously once he'd come off the skooma high of course, all his other marriages had. However, this time his life of hard living caught up to him, an aberration of the heart." I took a sip of the tea, bittersweet with a hint of jasmine. "That part's actually true, I'll have you briefed on all of the details, you'll need to memorize a lot, as far as the public will know, you two were madly in love. It adds legitimacy."

Van nodded, understanding what I was getting at, "Alright, I see how this puts him in the clear, but what exactly do I get."

It wasn't asked out of resentment, her tone was one of casual curiosity. "You will be acknowledged as a member of the count's family. A stipend, a private townhouse, a suite in Castle Bravil, taking care of his brother's widow will be a boon for the count's image." I'd thought up this part in the carriage, an added benefit for myself. "And, until the count has a child of his own, he'll name your child as heir. It is his, right?" She nodded again, "Good, is that satisfactory."

A slow smile spread across Van's face, "You're a miracle worker Bella, will the little bastard actually agree to it?"

"I've got him by the balls Van." I took one final sip and set the tea down. "The count's going to lose his head if this plays the wrong way." I showed her my teeth in that predatory grin, "whether he likes it or not, I own him now. I'll save him, but from now on, he has this hanging over his head like a sword on a wire. And I've got the shears."

"I'll send a runner with a full briefing, I'd do it myself, but I've got a pressing matter to attend to." Van looked at me curiously, "You don't want to know."

I looked down at Psythia, and found myself caught between humor and adorableness, the climax had passed, and it had taken it all out of her. She had dozed off, her head resting gently on my thigh. I bit back laughter and patted the elf on the head, "Psythia, dear, time to wake up."

Psythia blinked slowly awake, then her golden cheeks turned ruby red and she tried to untangle herself, "Ooh, I'm sorry Mistress…"

I took her by the chin, grinning like a cat, "Oh, so I'm your mistress now?" That left her amusingly flustered, "My dear, I do believe that you will be spending a lot more time with me in the future, if you don't mind of course."

Psythia looked away demurely, a small smile on her face, "Of course Mistress Augustus, I am yours to do as you please."

A pure submissive, I had to wonder how much of it was an act to ingratiate herself. She went to retrieve my underclothes, but I held up a hand to stop her, "Keep them, if you truly wish to give yourself over to me, you'll be wearing them the next time I see you."

I stood up and stepped around Psythia, Van had an amused smirk on her face that I did not dignify with a remark, Cassie kept a submissive, why shouldn't I? Besides, I had a feeling about this one. "Van, always a pleasure." We exchanged a quick kiss and I was gone, out of the room and on my way out. I had let that meeting go on for too long, allowed too many distractions, Cassie had to have the rat under her firm control by now.

Madame Theodora was busy with a small cluster of half, soon to be fully, naked nobles as I left, but still blew me a kiss as she saw me leaving, I returned the favor of course, but my mind was already on the rat.

...

 **Longest chapter yet, and now we get to venture into the darker parts of the Empire.**

 **I'm noticing that I'm not getting a lot of views for this story, that's fine, that's not why I do this stuff. But I would like some feedback, that is why I post this stuff, not why I write it, but why I post it. So if you guys don't mind, drop a review, tell me what I'm doing wrong or right, this is my first elder scrolls story and I want it to be good.**

 **Either way, R &R people.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry I missed last week, school got in the way. Good news is, this means everyone gets four chapters this week instead of two.**

 **...**

Stepping out of the Rose was like stepping into a different world, from the celebratory realms of hedonism ruled by Sanguine to the frigid prison realm of Coldharbour. The Rose was surrounded on almost all sides by tenements, massive multistory apartment buildings, each stuffed to the gills with a few hundred members of the bottom tier of Imperial society, laborers, washerwomen, and other landless poor barely keeping their heads above the poverty line.

And they were kept in line by the knowledge that even in their impoverished state, there were those who had it worse. One merely had to look outside the tenements to see beggars panhandling on the sidewalks. Emaciated, dead-eyed, husks dressed in rags represented those who'd been trapped and starved by their lot in life for decades, long enough to have given up. Men, women, and children in the tattered remains of the clothing of their former lives made up the newly impoverished.

There were a lot of the latter, the Emperor had launched massive tax increases to pay off the debts incurred by the Great War and the tribute required by the White-Gold Concordant. The effects had been put off for a decade while Titus Mede II tried to get his house in order. Thus, the effects were still being felt even now, a quarter century later. Of course, he wouldn't dare take more from the coffers of the powerful than was customary. The surrender, and it was seen as a surrender, had left the nobles feeling angry and dissatisfied, meaning that the Emperor couldn't afford to push his powerbase any further than he already had. This meant that the weight of the debt fell squarely on the shoulders of the middle class, creating a national economic depression that the Empire was still struggling through.

The nobility's pride had been badly bruised, the middle class was being crushed, and the number of impoverished was exploding. And nowhere was it more apparent than here in the cold grey dreariness that was the Waterfront. The only splotches of color came from the whores, to the trained eye, their outfits and makeup marked their origins as clearly as military uniforms. The lowest echelons were the unaffiliated newcomers, women who walked around completely naked or in old dresses torn in deliberate places to be more revealing. Above them were the independent veterans, those who walked around in second hand lingerie or specially tailored dresses. And above them were the brothel girls, those representing establishments such as the Rose. They wore two half-transparent bolts of silk, one around their chests, one around their waists, the colors marking their allegiances.

There was the pink of the Sanguine Carnation, the bright green of the Seashore, the blood red of the Legion's Crossing, and of course, the gentle white sashes with a single lily embroidered on the hip that signaled a courtesan of the Flaming Rose. The same uniform that I myself had worn during my trial, the same uniform that still rested in my wardrobe.

I took all of this in as I made my way down the street, passing the occasional ground floor apartment-turned-shop or tavern. There wasn't a guardsman in sight, the Imperial City Guard had stopped sending patrols in long ago, now they merely held the border of the district to keep the undesirables from spreading outside of the confines of the slums. The inhabitants were expected to police themselves.

Something they did quite well for the most part, a number of eyes fell on me as I continued my stroll, appraising my expensive clothing and wondering how much pleasure my body could bring them. These thoughts were quickly discouraged by dark looks from other, more experienced, eyes. Rolling the occasional drunk noble as he left a brothel at midnight was one thing, but attacking a woman of my status in broad daylight would undoubtedly bring retaliation down on the district in the form of the Legion.

After a few minutes' strolling, I arrived at my destination. A shop, a true shop rather than a converted apartment. A single story affair with glass in the front window, and a sign hanging above the door declaring the name to all, Israbur's Exotic Encyclopedic Tome Emporium. I held back a snort at the name, Isabur's tomes were exotic alright, you could only find them in his shop, because he wrote the nonsense right there in his shop and bound them in leather scraps.

The inside of the shop was eerily quiet, no one sat behind the store counter, all of the candles were doused. Dust covered the shelves, even here in the Waterfront, the people weren't gullible enough to believe that Isabur's bullshit was actual wisdom and academia. I locked the door behind me and made my way through the shelves. I found what I was looking for in the backroom.

Isabur was a Redguard of diminuitive stature, born with a predisposition for growing massive amounts of body hair. He also lacked a predisposition for bathing, turning the hair that grew all over his body a dirty blackish grey. That, in combination with his big eyes, rodent nose, and line of work earned him the name he was more commonly known by, The Rat of the Pier.

The Rat was currently bound to a chair in the middle of his storeroom. He'd been stripped down to his dirty grey fur, fur that was now clotted with blood. The room stunk of sweat and urine. It would have probably been rather loud as well, were it not for the fact that Cassie's great skill in regards to gagging people, otherwise I'm quite certain the Rat's screams would have been earsplitting.

Speaking of Cassie, she was bent over him, slowly working a small knife along the curve of the Rat's brow, looking very much like an artist applying careful brushstrokes to a masterpiece. Telain sitting next to her, using a small set of pliers to slowly remove one of the Rat's toenails. The nine-year-old did this with the same expression another child might have while working on particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle.

The resemblance between the girl and her mother was astonishing when you saw them next to each other.

The Rat was struggling uselessly against his bonds, he was blindfolded and his gag reduced his screams to persistent grunts. Personally, I don't consider physical torture on its own to be very effective, something my father taught me, but when combined with mental manipulation…

"Hello Isabur." Cassie ripped off the blindfold at my signal, the rat's eyes darted around the room, briefly pausing in agonized confusion when they fell on Telain pulling his toenails, then turning to terror when they fell on me, then turning to abject horror when they met Cassie's dark grin. He looked back to me, then screamed into the gag as Telain finally worked the toenail out.

"Sweetie, can you hold off a minute?" I laid a hand on Telain's shoulder, "Mommy and I need to talk to this rat." I hid the wince that inevitably came from that acknowledgement. "Of course, if he doesn't want to talk, you and mommy can go back to enjoying some quality time." I looked up at the rat, matching Cassie's dark grin with a predatory smile of my own. "Do you want to talk to me Isabur?"

Isabur nodded vigorously, "Good." I motioned for Cassie to take the gag off, "No screaming though, if you scream, it's back to mommy-daughter bonding time." Another vigorous nod, then the gag came off.

The rat looked like he was about to scream any way, but one look at Telaine's angelic face as she twirled the pliers in her hands took the air right out of his throat. I turned away from him, clasping my hands behind my back, pretending to examine the room. "Tell me Isabur, what was it that made a rat like you choose today to die?"

"I don't know what you-aghh," Cassie cut him off by ramming one of her knives through his hand and forcing his jaw shut before he could really scream.

"You just lied Isabur," I turned back to him, reaching under my skirt, holding my hand there just long enough for him to imagine what I was doing before pulling one of my knives out. "That hurts me Isabut," I sashayed forward and straddled his lap, bringing my face inches from his ratty grey beard. "That hurts me just… like…" I pressed the blade deep into my thumb, "this."

Isabur's eyes went even wider at my self-harm, I held my hand above his head and squeezed the wound, raining hot droplets of blood all over his face. The little rat thrashed at his bonds, screaming "What the hell do you want from me?"

I put a little more madness into my grin and leaned right next to his ear, "I want to hear you squeak as Cassie clips your tail." Cassie took her cue and put the tip of her blade against the base of his spine.

Isabur was sobbing now, assured that the only thing left for him was a slow and painful death at the hands of madwomen.

I leaned back and licked my lips like a wolf in front of a hare. He was just where I wanted him. "I want to pull those little rat eyes out of your head, then I want to cut out your balls, and then I want to switch them." I let out a long melodious laugh, then abruptly cut it short for effect, "Or…"

The rat saw my expression shift from madness to business, and in it he saw a way out. "Or?" he said, suddenly very eager to give me whatever I pleased.

"Or," I spoke slowly, "You can tell me everything you know about who hired you to tattoo those runes on the man who tried to kill Livia Cerona. And how you know it," the last part was necessary to ensure he didn't lie.

The man paused for a moment, clearly scared of whoever had employed him, but with Cassie, myself, and even little Telain around him, blades shining in the candlelight, he seemed to decide we were the greater threat. After that, the secrets spilled out of him like water out of a bucket run through with a sword.

I'd known it was him of course, he was the only arcane tattoo artist in the city. I'd worked with him before, the enchanting of flesh was an incredibly rare skill to possess these days, that made him quite useful. Still, even with that knowledge, it shocked me how much he knew. Enchantment of flesh required an exchange of energies, the recipient must be open to receive the runes in order to gain their power, I had known that. What I hadn't known was that the openness allowed the artist access to the recipient's mind, not useful for something as overt as control or manipulation, but their intellect, their thoughts, their memories, all of that could be accessed during the procedure.

As such, the rat had plenty of secrets to spill, he wasn't even focusing on the question, he was merely blurting out every bit of knowledge that he'd picked up in his procedures. I just sat there and listened, some of it was scandalous, some of it criminal, some of it arcane, and some of it trivial. Cassie, in her usual perceptiveness, had seen fit to acquire a quill and paper and was writing things down that could prove useful in later endeavors. Telain merely followed my example, staring up at Isabur with those brown eyes of hers.

It took a few minutes before he actually got around to more recent events, and when he did, he said the last possible thing that I wanted to hear.

Pulling myself off of him, I got to my feet and smoothed out my dress, restoring the dagger to its sheathe. Fixing him with a glacial glare, I spoke in a tone as hard as steel, "You owe me your life Isabur, I can and should kill you, but I won't, so long as your prove useful."

I enunciated each word, throwing them at him like they were daggers. "Remember Isabur, you owe me."

I whispered a healing spell for my injured hand and reached down to take Telain's hand, it wasn't something I did often and you could tell by the confusion on her face. That confusion would have shattered my heart had I not been so focused on the situation at hand. With her in tow, we left the store, leaving Cassie to tend to the rat. Making our way up the street my mind was racing. I wasn't thinking about what I was doing, I was thinking about what Isabur had said. I blame that for what I did when we got back to the Flaming Rose.

In front of the brothel doorway, I dropped to one knee to bring myself to Telain's level. I took her hand in both of mine, "Cassie and I have to go handle things sweetie, but I promise that we'll visit again as soon as possible." I gathered her into a tight embrace and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you sweetheart."

If taking her hand was something rare, this was downright strange for her, still she slowly returned the embrace, "I love you too mommy."

I pulled away and stood up, a cold hand curled around my innards, and for a brief and ludicrous second, I couldn't understand why I wasn't bringing her with me. The memories forced themselves to the surface.

 _The priestess in the temple, an invader, grinning from ear to ear and laughing with her fellow Devout._

 _The curse and the gift, the dark look intensifying in Cassie's eyes._

 _The priestess and her fellow devout, hanging from a lamp pole, throat's open with wide bloody grins. Their ovaries removed and stuffed down their throats. The message sent and received._

Reality reared its ugly head as Telain was ushered inside by one of the working girls and Cassie appeared behind me, her hand on my shoulder. She knew the look on my face, but the hardness in my eyes told her all she needed to know. This could wait, now it was time for work.

 **...**

 **This chapter set up things that will be revealed long into the future, if I even get that far.**

 **I'll be honest, I've got so many stories bouncing around in my head right now, it's hard to focus. I've got a Ghost Recon Wildlands story idea, a Mass Effect Andromeda idea, an old idea for Mafia 3 has picked up some steam in my head. So many stories, and I've still got to finish this story and the Skyrim Story it's setting up for.**

 **So I don't know, what do you guys think, where should I put my focus. I seek input my friends.**

 **And as always, tell me what you think of the chapter.**

 **R &R people.**


	7. Chapter 7

According to Isabur, the assassins were Disciples of the Mountain, a cult-like organization that made it's revenue through contract killing. All of its members were fanatically loyal to their mentor, The Old Man of the Mountain. On reflection, I should have recognized it immediately, the hit was exactly their style, get close to the target, dispatch them with a dagger, and use explosives or magic to blow themselves and everyone around them sky high to make sure the job was done. It was obvious in hindsight.

Presently, the most important thing was the fact that Isabur hadn't only enchanted one person, he'd enchanted four.

Cassie took the reins as I leaped into the chariot, the ride bumpy and uncomfortable, but that didn't matter. We needed to get Livia and get her behind my villa's walls. The Vi Tempestatis legionnaires I'd given her were good, Tempests were the best that the Empire had to offer, but even they couldn't stop an exploding infiltrator in a crowd. My estate was far more defensible, layer after layer of security made it almost impossible to infiltrate.

Cassie pushed an image into my head, and I prayed for the Lady's mercy. Smoke was rising above the rooftops in the direction of Livia's home. Cassie was pushing the horses as fast as possible without overwhelming them, I just had to hope that we weren't going to be too late.

Cassie's home was a decent sized home of the Domus style that had been popular for a time. Meaning that it was a single story and made up of four sections surrounding a central courtyard with a reflecting pool.

One side had collapsed and was on fire, the source of the smoke, and a crowd had gathered in front of it, held back by City Guardsmen.

As soon as Cassie brought the carriage to a stop, I leapt out and made for the Guard perimeter, slipping through the gaps as they appeared with the expertise of someone used to navigating the dancefloors of the Emperor's Galas. It took me less than a minute to reach the front of the crowd. I knew Cassie was a few minutes behind me, it would have been prudent of me to wait for her.

I've never been one for prudes.

A guard halted me on the edge of the grounds. He was somewhere in his thirties and dressed in the light leather armor of the Guard, dyed bright blue to distinguish them from the Legion. On one side of his belt sat a sheathed sword, a truncheon hung from a loop on the other as both a symbol of office and a nonlethal weapon. They'd set up temporary barricades on both sides, one set facing the house, the other facing the crowd, and filled the walkway between with guards.

The guard held up a hand, "I'm sorry ma'am, we're securing this area, please step back."

I scanned his face, hoping for recognition, I found none. I kept up on the rolls of the Guard, but the rolls didn't include renderings. He had a slight roughness to his voice, the kind that came from a late-in-life basic education, that meant he was from the Waterfront. He wore his armor comfortably, that and his age told me he'd been in the Guard for at least five years, a veteran, bluster wouldn't work. Green cords around his neck told me he was wearing an Amulet of Mara, that meant married. There was a small bit of pink in his beard, right where a set of tiny lips covered with a bit too much cheap makeup would have planted a kiss on her father's cheek before he went out to work. A father then, and a doting one at that.

That was my in. "Officer," all members of the Guard were considered officers, apparently to give them authority over rowdy enlisted legionnaires. "You will fetch me your captain, and you will have one of your juniors brief me on the current situation." I shifted my voice to sotto vocce. "I am Lady Bella Augustus, if you do what I tell you, your wife will be offered a position as a lady's maid by a prominent noble family, paying fifty thousand septims per year, that combined with your thirty thousand will bring you up to eighty, enough to move out of the Waterfront to somewhere more respectable. And, your daughter shall be provided a sponsorship from the Temple of Dibella to the Imperial University."

The officer was taken aback by my blunt quid pro quo, but then seemed to think for a moment. Then he straightened up and took on an authoritative glare. For a moment I thought he was going to decline, angered at the bribe. Instead, he turned toward a younger man a few paces down the line and shouted, "Officer Mosich!"

The younger man snapped to attention, "Officer Meres, sir."

Meres, the apparent name of my new asset, glared even harder at the poor boy. "You will allow her ladyship through the barricade, you will brief her on the current situation, and you will maintain my position in the line while I secure the attention of Captain Maxentius, is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" The young officer saluted smartly and moved to shift the barricade for me.

"My Lady," Meres gave me a nod and went to get Maxentius. Buying Meres was expensive for a man of his likely low position, but I was in a hurry.

"My Lady," Mosich chose to bow instead of salute. The crowd seemed a touch unhappy that an exception had been made, but these were mid-level nobles, not dockside thugs. They weren't going to try overrunning the line.

I stepped between the barricades, and the officer put it back into place. Once it was back in place, I stepped towards the next barricade. Eyeing the domus, I couldn't see much more than I already had. I was mentally tallying a likely body count. Livia's home was always open, there were almost always a dozen or so of her circle there, she had a staff of just under a hundred servants, and she was supposed to have been holding another party today. Still, Livia was irreplaceable, the others were acceptable losses.

Officer Mosich took my silence as a queue to begin, "Milady, the situation began roughly twenty minutes ago, Lady Cerona was hosting a gala of some kind, then there was some kind of explosion, witnesses say that came from the central courtyard. About two minutes after we arrived, so about eight minutes ago, a second explosion collapsed the east section of the house. Since then, we've held the perimeter, we're waiting for the captain to give the order to enter, so we don't have any knowledge of what's happening inside."

I nodded, Maxentius was a decent man, but he had no taste for blood, he wouldn't risk his men. I'd arranged an early honorable discharge from the Legion. Officially a wound taken in battle with a bandit lord had left him incapable of the long marches that Legion campaigns required. In reality, the bandit lord had been a man on my payroll, the body Maxentius returned was a recent dead from the Waterfront, bought anonymously from the family for a substantial price, manipulated by a face sculptor in my employ, and the bandit horde he and his men supposedly routed had actually initiated a well planned retreat, leaving behind more face sculpted dead as they went.

Maxentius had received a commendation for it and on discharge was offered a captaincy in the Guard. "Lady Augustus, a pleasure to see you, though under strained circumstances."

I turned to see Meres and Maxentius, I was starting to believe that every guardsmen was required to have a name starting with an M. "Captain, may I ask why you haven't secured the interior of the house yet?"

Captain Maxentius held himself at his full height, I was quite tall thankfully, so he only came even with my eyes. "I'm afraid that we don't have the intelligence required, there are explosives in that building and until we can ascertain if there are anymore, I cannot risk my men."

"Alright Captain, my coachwoman should be a long soon, let her in after me. I'll handle the situation presently." I gestured for Mosich to move the inner barricade.

Maxentius seemed ready to protest, but decided against it. He knew that he owed me too much to deny my desires. Finally, he shrugged, "It is your choice Lady Augustus, but I cannot force my men into unnecessary danger."

Mosich went to do as I bid him, content with his commanding officer's approval, Meres on the other hand seemed less than enthused at the idea. He took a step closer and lowered his voice, "My Lady, I understand you must have a good reason to be so eager to go in there, but I cannot allow a young woman to put herself in such danger."

I had to fight hard to keep from smiling, such chivalry, it was adorable. Still, I kept a serious tone, "I thank you for your concern officer, but I can handle myself quite capably."

The officer was undeterred, "My Lady, I'll be blunt, I was the first on scene. I wasn't able to see much before the explosion pushed us back, but from what I did see…" he paused, swallowing hard at the memory. "It's a charnel house in there ma'am, not just the explosion, slit throats, mutilated corpses, bodies pinned to the wall." He shook his head, "I've been in the Guard half a decade, it's one of the worst I've seen."

That made me want to curse, I'd been worried about that. The Disciples usually operated on their own, but at times they were known to move in packs of six. Only one in these packs would make the kill and blow themselves up, the others made up for it by racking up collateral damage. If there four were rigged to blow, that meant twenty others. Two explosions, one I'd taken out at the party, that left one more suicide bomber.

I looked up at him, as I noticed for the first time, Meres was actually quite tall, a half head taller than me. "Still, I must persist, as you said, I have a very good reason."

Meres didn't look happy at this, but not in the manner of stopping me, which would have forced me to hurt him, but rather in a kind of grim determination I'd seen on the faces of soldiers holding a line they believed untenable. He spun on his heel to face his captain and snapped off a smart salute, "Sir, I volunteer to accompany Lady Augustus inside, sir."

Maxentius didn't look too enthused at the idea himself, but he nodded, "At your discretion Officer Meres."

I decided against arguing, the man was a knight errant in the wrong profession, ready to throw himself in front of a blade for to protect a damsel. Mosich had moved the barricade, so I proceeded through with Meres in tow.

There wasn't a point in attempting to sneak in, it would take too much time, therefore the direct approach was called for. When we stood at the front entrance, I reached under my skirt to draw my daggers.

Meres's eyes bulged at the action, "My Lady!"

I shook my head and pulled my blades free, they were long for knives, with curved blades, each intricately detailed with a design of lilies. The handles were carefully crafted in the image of naked women. Each was enchanted so that each cut would take life force and stamina from my enemy and grant it to me. I called them the Lily's Thorns.

Entering the vestibule, I could immediately see what Meres had been talking about. A footman was pinned to the wall, hanging from a dagger pinning his hands to the wall, his guts spilled out from his slashed-open stomach like a kind of macabre tapestry.

I grimaced in disgust, the Disciples considered such acts as tribute to the Old Man. The Lady sometimes required deaths, but never such pointless brutality. Meres whispered a short prayer to Stendarr and we continued into this hellish plane of Oblivion.

 **...**

 **Hey guys, this one's a bit shorter than the past few, but I've been in a bit of a rush lately.**

 **The real action starts next chapter, blood, combat, all of that delightful business**

 **Until Tomorrow guys,**

 **R &R people.**


	8. Chapter 8

If the footman had been a preview, it certainly didn't prepare us for the scene within the atrium. Each of the pillars had a bloody decoration, young noblemen and women hung from daggers and gutted. The reflecting pool ran red with blood, the smell of cooked flesh emanated from a number of incinerated corpses stacked up in one corner. They were the lucky ones, having died in the explosion. The list of horrors seemed to go on and on, what was most shocking to me was how quickly they'd done it, according to the guard, they'd done all of this in less than twenty minutes.

And of course, the perpetrators weren't finished, as we entered, there were seven of them spread throughout the room, mutilating more corpses and creating fresh atrocities. Rage flooded through me, the only good thing was that I could feel Livia, her connection to me well developed, she was still alive.

It actually took them a moment to realize we'd entered. They likely regretted allowing us that moment. With a whispered invocation, I tapped into my inner passions, channeling my anger and love and desire into my physical being. I moved forward with an unnatural speed, plunging my dagger into the nearest Disciple's neck. He'd been kneeling over a corpse, doing unholy things to it, I separated his spine from his brain stem just as my father had taught me. Another Disciple came at me, another close behind him.

He lunged at me with his dagger, I ducked under the strike, slashing his femoral artery with one blade before coming up and plunging the other into his ally's throat in a fluid practiced movement, feeling their strength flowing into me with every cut. I spotted another enemy across the room, running towards Meres. I cocked my arm back and sent one of my blades flying. It caught the man squarely in the chest, embedding itself deep from the divine-enhanced strength of the throw.

I spun around to see Meres engaged with two Disciples at once, with his sword in one hand and truncheon in the other. He parried the attack of one, using his weapon's distance to keep the man back and disarmed the other by smashing his wrist with the truncheon. Then he spun, slashing the now-unarmed man's carotid artery and kicking him at his friend. Then he lunged forward driving his weapon through the dying man, into his compatriot.

A slick move, also not taught in Guard training. Perhaps there was more to this officer than meets the eye. I tallied the kills in my head, scanning the room, one two three four, the two Meres killed.

My eyes narrowed, there were seven when we came in. Where was the last one?

I got my answer when he came running back into the room, this time with six friends.

Meres drew up next to me, "We don't have surprise anymore ma'am."

I shook my head, watching them fan out around the bloody reflecting pool, "No, we don't."

I slid back into fighting stance, adjusting my grip on my remaining blade. "There's a lot of them ma'am," Meres observed, covering my flank.

Before I could respond, a number of glass phials dropped into the pool, shattering and filling the room with fast spreading black smoke. There was a series of yells, grunts, and gurgles, followed by silence. Meres seemed to grow even more nervous at this new possible threat, I could see his grip tighten around his sword and truncheon.

"You should have waited for me." I grinned as, out of the smoke, emerged my stalwart Bosmeri companion.

"You took too long." In any other circumstances, I would have been laughing, but now I settled for a shrug.

"Did you find her," she handed me the dagger I'd thrown, which I gladly accepted.

"Not yet, but we haven't searched the rooms yet." I was already scanning the corpses for Vi Tempestatis uniforms.

The smoke faded enough that I could see Cassie's handiwork, each of the Disciples had been cut down with the same brutal efficiency that had been drilled into Cassie since childhood.

Meres grunted next to me, eyeing Cassie with something between respect and fear. "They aren't much for a stand up fight, are they?"

I closed my eyes, trying to hone in on Livia. Without looking, I already knew that Cassie was cataloguing the bodies, working out exactly who was dead and how important they were. "Disciples are all shock and awe. They're good at infiltration and that first strike on an unsuspecting victim, but they don't expect to get out alive, so they don't prep for an exit strategy."

I had to smile, even if it did take away from my focus, Cassie loved these little lectures of hers. "They're trained as individuals, not as teams. And since they spend so much time cultivating that fanatical loyalty of theirs to their Old Man, they don't spend a lot of time on combat training. They rely entirely on that first strike and the explosion. Survive the first thirty seconds after that, and you've already won." Under her breath she murmured, "not like the Dark Brotherhood."

There, "I've got her." I strode over the corpses towards the collapsed side of the Domus. The Disciples work had gotten more grotesque here, but I barely noticed it, all that mattered was getting Livia out of here.

The east wing had only partly collapsed, the southern half was still half way standing. It didn't take long to find the Vi Tempestatis soldiers I had sent with her. They were dead, the Breton had been stabbed multiple times and the Orc appeared to have been blown into a wall and buried under a collapsed column. Arrayed around them were the corpses of six Disciples.

It appeared the Tempests had gone down defending a door to one of the guest bedrooms. The door was covered in a reddish-pink sheen. I recognized it as a ward of the Goddess, and I could feel Livia was behind it. That gave me pause, Livia wasn't advanced enough for that technique, she would know the general form, but she wasn't ready to channel that much of the Lady's power.

"She's in here." I touched the ward and drained it's energy into myself.

"Thank you for clearing that ward," A strange voice came from behind us. Spinning around, I saw another Disciple grinning at me. He was stripped to the waist, fire runes glowed gently across his chest. "It was most irritating."

Without the ward, an explosion here would be enough to kill not only us, but Livia as well.

I'd been played. There was only one way to ensure that he didn't detonate his runes.

I motioned for Meres and Cassie to step back. I Invoked the Goddess and began to close the distance between the assassin and myself. He looked at me curiously, then his curiosity turned to puzzlement, and his puzzlement turned to arousal. He was hypnotized by the sway of my hips and the bounce of my breasts. He couldn't help himself of course, The Goddess's Seduction was difficult to resist when one was trained for it, for the uninitiated, it was impossible.

As I drew close, he dropped his dagger, and drew forward into my embrace. He leaned in to kiss me, I accepted, locking our lips together. Once the seal was complete, I began practicing the darkest art of Dibella.

In the process of making love, there is a give and take, and exchange of energies, life forces, souls some might call it. Both partners give the other a part of themselves. Instead of giving only a piece of myself, I forced my energy into him, completely overpowering and dominating his own. And once I had overpowered it, I took it, all of it.

Without the Seduction, he realized what was happening, and he felt the pain. I was ripping the life force from his body, to learn this technique, one had to have experienced a sample of it from a fellow Lily. Theodora had barely taken any of my essence, it had lasted less than a moment, and it had been excruciating.

It feels like every muscle in your body is being simultaneously ripped apart and crushed. It feels as if a dozen spikes are slowly being pounded into your skull and hot lead is being funneled into your every orifice. Your blood feels as if it is boiling inside your veins. And all the while, it feels as if your whole body has been set aflame.

For me however, it was nothing but pure ecstasy. My body felt stronger, my mind felt quicker, and all of the energy I had expended was returned to me twofold. And accompanying this was the feeling as if I was riding the highest peak of the greatest climax I had ever experienced in my life.

He thrashed in my arms, trying desperately to escape. It was too late though, he was far too weak and I was far too strong for that now. The light in his eyes began to die as he grew too weak even to thrash and resigned himself to his fate. When I had taken everything from him and there was nothing left for me, I dropped his desiccated corpse to the floor.

Meres was staring at me in horror, "By the Nine, what in Stendarr's name did you do to him?"

I turned back to him, trying my best to remain somber despite the sudden wave of pleasure and joy that had spread through my body. "Not in Stendarr's name, Dibella's, it's called the Kiss of Death. I drained him of his energies, it was the only way to make sure that he wouldn't detonate his runes."

Meres didn't seem pleased, but accepted it. Judging by his exlamations, he was a follower of Stendarr. They were notoriously militant and closed-minded when it came to anything magical not directly sanctioned by the Vigil.

Brushing past him, I pushed open the door. Livia was sprawled across the floor, unconscious, but her injuries seemed superficial.

Meres's expression was grave, "Is she…"

I dropped to my knees and felt her pulse, "She's alive, she tried channeling more of Dibella than she was ready for. The Goddess wouldn't have done it if it wasn't the only chance to save her life." I rolled her over, there was a thin stream of blood coming from her nose, but overall she seemed fine. I slid my arms around her and pulled her unconscious face to mine and opened her mouth. I gently brought my lips to hers and breathed my essence into her. She had drained herself dry and then kept pushing, she needed replenishment.

"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Meres was shouting behind me, I ignored him, Cassie could deal with it.

After a few minutes, Livia's small wounds had healed, and her eyelids fluttered open, "Bella?"

"Yes Livie, come on, let's get you out of here."

I helped her up, only to almost let go of her when she let out an earsplitting shriek as she saw the slaughter.

"Livie," Cassie said in her Dominant voice, "Close your eyes and give me your hand."

It was a testament to their relationship that the young noble followed the commands without hesitation.

We picked our way back through the atrium, into the vestibule. Before we went outside though, I stopped us. "Officer Meres, pick up Lady Cerona."

He looked at me like I'd grown a second head, "Pardon?"

"Pick up Lady Cerona, in a bridal style preferably." Livia looked at me strangely as well, but knew better than to question it.

"Why?"

I shook my head; this is why I don't like working with people outside of my circle. "Don't question it, just do it. Livie, look unconscious, Meres, don't answer questions, don't comment, just keep your eyes straight ahead and get her into my carriage."

Meres looked like he was about to argue further, but Livia was already laying her arm on his shoulder and raising her leg for him to pick her up. Seeing no other choice, he did as he was bidden. Livia went limp and allowed one of her arms to hang loosely from her side while tucking the other against her chest. The picture of a rescued damsel in distress, if only Meres could stop blushing.

Still, it worked for the narrative.

 **...**

 **Third chapter of the week guys. Hope your enjoying it.**

 **I'll be honest, my fight scenes are always hit and miss, at least from my perspective. It's one skill I just have difficulty mastering. Magic is easier for me, I know more about standard combat, having my black belt, but magical combat is easier to write for some reason.**

 **In any case, what do you guys think?**

 **One more chapter left for this week, then we go back to the normal schedule of Thursday and Friday.**

 **R &R People.**


	9. Chapter 9

With that, I gestured for Meres to lead us out. A silence spread over the crowd when we came out of the Domus. No one seemed to speak as we crossed the open area between the house and the Guard cordon. A path was cleared for us through the barricade, and a small escort of guardsmen fell in step with us through the crowds.

The second we stepped through the gap in the gap in the barricades, the silence was brutally shattered. Reporters and curious nobles immediately launched into a barrage of questions. Woodcut carving atronachs' eyes flashed as they speedily took our images for their masters and mistresses. They were held back by our escorts, but I could practically feel Cassie's eyes scanning or possible breaches. I kept my own eyes on Meres, one wrong word from him could destroy the narrative I was building.

Thankfully, he did as he was told, and the blush faded into a mask of grim stoicism in the face of the crowd. He was smarter than I gave him credit for. We loaded ourselves into the carriage and Cassie took the reins. Once we were out of the eyes of public scrutiny, Livia dropped her faint act and extricated herself from Meres's grasp and scurried over to my side. Half exhausted, still half terrified, the girl curled up against me. Too physically and emotionally drained to cry, she just rested her head on my shoulder.

I wrapped an arm around her. It was hard, at moments like this, to remember that she was only four years younger than me. For me, bloodbaths, assassins, intrigue, and betrayal, this was part and parcel of my existence. Livia, looking wan and innocent, almost childlike, nestled against me, seemed decades younger by comparison. Had I been like that once, I doubt it, this was my trade practically from birth, and Mother never tried to shield me from the dirtier aspects of politics.

Meres seemed like unsure as to what he was supposed to do at this point, and in the end he settled for a kind of seated military attention.

The ride was relatively quick, my villa was a short way outside of the city. One could best describe my villa as a very well decorated and very discreet fortress. The walls surrounding the compound may have been covered with ivy, but they were three feet thick and any intruder would find the vegetation had a tendency to bind and sometimes strangle uninvited climbers. The large open lawns that separated the buildings were well-kept by a small army of gardeners that were as well trained with a blade as they were with a hoe. And they would find plenty of other surprises lurking inside the buildings

The gates swung open as we approached and closed behind us as we passed. We pulled into the stables where a small battery of servants awaited us. A few stable hands took a hold of the horses, and another opened the carriage door and helped us out. Cassie was quick to take Livia into her arms and guide her away. She caught my eyes, we'd talk once she'd settled things with Livie.

My Steward, Evelda, stood beside me with a glass of wine. "Welcome home Ma'am, will your guests be requiring medical attention?"

"No Eve, but please see to my dress, I'm afraid the Disciples proved to be quite messy." As we entered my main foyer, I peeled off the blood soaked dress. Meres, though he didn't say anything, turned a new shade of red and dropped his eyes to the floor. A young maid took the dress and another one immediately offered a silk robe.

"Yes, we have made preparations in anticipation of your arrival." I took the wine from Evelda, one of my allies in the crowds must have sent a messenger.

"Are Cimen and his people on this?" The wine was a fine vintage from Stros'Mkai, one of my favorites. Eve knew what I needed after a bad day.

"You've probably already figured it out, but yes, Cimens is ready to brief with their first thoughts." Cimen was my Head Analyst, he and his people advised me based on acquired information.

"Yeah, he wasn't exactly subtle on this was he. If it wasn't so out of character, I would've known it immediately." It was so obvious, even my housekeepers were figuring it out.

"Sal and the operations teams are already working up responses." Salunus headed up my security teams, they were a special century in the Vi Tempestatis.

"Tell him not to bother, we're keeping this under the table." Another servant handed me a small packet of documents that I began to skim over. "Has the Count of Leyawiin sent anything?"

We were nearing my study. "Yes, his Grace sent a love letter confirming his affection and promising his vote on the aqueduct project." Eve waved a paper, presumably the letter, in front of her. "He also sent a hundred silk scarves."

I chuckled at that, "Have Asste draft a response, and distribute the scarves to anyone who wants one." I scrutinized one part of the packet, "Are these the latest numbers from the exchange?"

"Yes ma'am, also General Apinus would like to schedule a meeting for tomorrow night."

I took another sip of my wine. "Send Favera, have her tell Apinus that I'll smooth over that whole debacle with the Ministry of Defense, but he had better guarantee me the arms contract for the Seventeenth Legion the next time it comes up."

We reached my study, "Give Officer Meres and I a few minutes alone Eve, and have Ko'lani organize whatever you haven't told me into a memorandum for after this." The crowd of staff parted for Meres to step forward, he looked more flustered than ever with the lithe young women surrounding him.

I stepped into my study and dropped into my chair behind my desk. I a sense of comfort slip over me, like a warm old cloak. This was my bastion, I would challenge anyone to attack me here, both literally and figuratively. To continue my metaphor, they would get, and have gotten, smashed against the walls. "Close the door behind you Officer Meres." I set down one packet and picked up another. "Or should I say Captain Valerio Meres, Second Century, Fifth Cohort, Thirteenth Legion."

"You have my personnel jacket." Meres took the seat on the opposite side of the desk.

"It doesn't take much to get into the Legion Archives." Especially when your father is a general.

"I you don't mind me mentioning, your staff has a very interesting uniform." The blush was back; it was really rather amusing.

"By which you mean the thigh length skirts, the lack of sleeves and straps on their dresses, and the mile of cleavage." The blush grew, "Many of my servants have taken up the worship of Dibella, our bodies are something to take pride in, not be ashamed of." And of course the one point I always have to make, "No, before you ask, it's not an enforced dress code."

"Let me get straight to the point. Tomorrow the broadsheets are going to describe your daring rescue of Lady Livia Cerona. Then the Minister of Justice is going to appoint you deputy." I was going to make the most of my investment.

"And why is that?" Meres could see where the wind was blowing, but he was going to make me say it.

I allowed my smile to become a smirk, "Because I'm going to make it happen."

Meres was quiet for a long moment, "No."

That gave me pause, "Excuse me."

Meres was rock steady though, "My lady, with all due respect, I'd rather not be collared, no matter how pretty the leash."

This was surprising, "I beg you reconsider. Wouldn't you like to give your family a life of wealth?" Not exactly subtle, but it was his weakpoint.

Meres didn't even blink, "I'd rather be able to look my wife and my daughter in the eyes at the end of the day. Letting you through a perimeter is one thing, but if I took this job, I'd belong to you." He stood up, "Follow through on your promises, or don't, I'm happy to have been able to help Lady Cerona, but I won't be anyone's pet."

Interesting, I leaned forward, steepling my hands. "Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I respect your decision. One of my maids will show you out."

"Good evening ma'am," and with that he was out the door and gone.

A few minutes later my personal secretary came in. An Argonian, Stares-At-Scrolls, or Scroll for short, she took the papers off of my desk and replaced them with a fresh set. "How did your meeting with the guardsman go Mistress?"

I picked up the new papers, the latest intelligence on Challa Trading House's impending collapse. "Interesting, not how I'd hoped it would go, but still interesting." I looked up, "Give my thanks to the Intel office for coming up with that dossier so quickly. Send a few bottles down to them and give them the night off."

"You are too generous ma'am, should I have a letter drafted to send to the Minister of Justice?" She flicked her tail back and forth as she spoke, it was a nervous habit and it had tripped more than a few of the other staff on multiple occasions. She'd been listening at the door.

I leaned back and rested my head against the back of my chair, "Yes, tell him that Meres is our next Deputy Minister of Justice. Also, have a message sent to the Vicis asking Alonza to hire Officer Meres's wife. And I'll speak to the High Priestess when I go to the Temple tomorrow about getting his daughter a scholarship to the Imperial University."

"Of course ma'am, may I ask why though? He refused your offer." A small grin spread across my face.

"Yes he did, and that's part of the reason I'm still going through with it. He's too honor-bound to refuse." A man as incorruptible as a saint, with the sense of honor of a knight-errant from a fairy tale. If I couldn't give myself an advantage here, I would take the opportunity away from anyone else.

"What's next?"

 **...**

 **This one's out a bit late, sorry about that guys, school got in the way again.**

 **Once again, I'm playing pretty fast and loose with the way politics in the Empire works. But like I said, this isn't a Bioware game, I don't have a codex to work with and, as far as I know, none of the books in the games go into any real specifics.**

 **We're back to the normal schedule next week.**

 **R &R people.**


	10. Chapter 10

The assassination attempt may have been the flashiest item on the agenda, but it wasn't the only one. "Cimen is ready to brief you on what analytics has come up with on Lady Cerona's incident. Sylona has a personal matter that she would like to speak with you about. We have a new arrival and I know you like to greet them personally. And Miss Nirsus is at the gate, she wants to speak with you."

I'd been expecting that. "Is Cimen going to tell me anything I don't already know?"

Scroll shook her head, "No ma'am."

I skimmed another one of the papers. "Then, all due respect to Cimen and his people, but have him summarize it into a memorandum, and send Miss Nirus in, oh and fetch me two glasses."

A few minutes later, Pasala Nirus of the Black Horse Courier, the most reputable public news source for the past thousand years, was sitting across from me.

"So," she said slowly, "what do you have for me?"

"The Count of Skingrad is trying to kill his niece." No point in holding that back.

"I know, I figured that out three hours ago. How'd you figure it out?" That did not surprise me in the slightest. If I'd been objective like I should have been, I'd have done the same.

I poured us each a half a glass of wine, "Worked over the arcane tattoo artist that did the enchantments on the Disciples. You?"

She took a long swig of her wine, "I checked the exchange notices against the records for the Count of Skingrad's mining interests. There were discrepancies, so I talked to some cart drivers. A few bottles of decent whisky and a few warm meals later, they told me that a couple of shipments had been taken off the books and sent to the Jerall Mountains. Shipments of gold ore." She raised her hand, counting off her fingers as she spoke. "The Count of Skingrad sends a few off the books shipments of the only form of payment the Disciples accept, to the region where the Disciples make their home, in the weeks before the Disciples make an attempt on the life of his sole living heir." The corner of her mouth quirked up into a grin. "The math isn't that hard to work out."

I chuckled, taking a sip of my own wine, "Sala, one of these days you're going to sell out and join my Intelligence office."

Pasala laughed to, "Maybe, but not today." She took another drink and her grin faltered, "All kidding aside, how's Livia holding up?"

I grimaced, "About as well as can be expected. Cassie's with her now."

Nirus nodded sympathetically, "This isn't her level. There's a reason that your stuff goes on the front page and her stuff goes in the gossip column. A power play in the circles she travels in is tripping someone on a dance floor." She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Not the slaughterhouse that they turned Livia's house into."

"Speaking of which, we need to talk about your story." This was the part she wouldn't like.

Nirus poured herself another glass, "Yes, how much time do you need to clean this thing up and get Liva set up before I run it. I don't want to rush her after what she just went through, but we need to handle this before the count makes another attempt," Her mouth twitched into a grin again, "And before another publisher can scoop me."

"Actually," I said tentatively, "I'd prefer it if you didn't run that as part of the story. I'd prefer you focus on Officer Meres's bravery in saving Livia."

Nirus took a long drink and poured herself yet another, then looked at me with one eyebrow arched. "You have got to be kidding me," her tone was deadpan. I'd known her long enough to know that this was her equivalent of screaming and cursing.

"No," I kept my tone firm but undemanding. "I need to set Meres up for an appointment with the Ministry of Justice. And as for the count," I waved my hand dismissively, "He'll die within a few months. If this gets out now, there'll be a big scandal, the Emperor will use it as an excuse to hold up the transition of the title and call for a Council Review. It'll be a mess, much better if everyone just assumes this was a terrible attack by madmen and the count slips quietly into Oblivion."

She glared at me, passion burning in her gaze, "The people have a right to know that their leaders are trying to murder one another."

This was an old argument that I knew I didn't want to get sucked into, but I couldn't help myselt. "Why?" I asked, a bit more venom in my voice than there should have been. "What obligates us to give information that we uncovered through great amounts of time, effort, and skill, to the average peon for a half septim on a street corner?" I folded my arms, "I'm an educated woman Pasala, and I've studied the Aedric texts as well as any priest. I've found nothing that suggests such a moral requirement."

Nirus started tapping her ring against my desk, a nervous gesture that signaled her irritation. "The people have a right to know because it's the only way society can function properly." She was going to bring up the Interregnum again, I knew it. "If the people had known half of the scheming of your breed, the Stormcrown Interregnum wouldn't have lasted half as long or have been half as brutal. They wouldn't have stood for it."

I rubbed my temples, "You have a much higher estimation of what the people will and won't stand for Pasala, but this isn't the time or place for that argument. What's it going to take for you to run the Meres story instead of the count?"

I knew the story she wanted to run with. Out it came, one word, "Telain."

"No," came my usual reply, like fire from a dragon's mouth.

Nirus persisted, "Come on Bella, a simple piece, just introducing your little girl to society."

"Print a word about Telain and our friendship is over." There would be other consequences of course, and she knew it, but those didn't need to be spoken aloud.

Nirus sighed, she wasn't going to get anywhere with this, we both knew it. "Fine, what's Aurelia up to these days?"

This I could barter with, "Skyrim, the place has more ruins than Coldharbor, she's ecstatic about it."

"I want first dibs on the story when she makes her major discovery, and I want a personal account." She rapped her ring particularly loudly against the desk, "An archeologist braving a warzone to learn the wisdom of the ancients, people will eat it up. If I can't report something that matters, the least I can do is sell some papers."

I could live with that, "Deal, no promises on her making any major discoveries though."

Nirus actually snorted, we both knew that wasn't true. My sister couldn't trip over her skirts without finding an ancient Ayleid ruin or a Dwemer machination. "Alright, I'll write your stupid fluff piece."

She stood up and I followed suit. Stepping around my desk we gave each other a quick hug. "Give Livia my best, I'll be around again sometime this week to check up on her." That quirky little smile came back, "Maybe write a personal interest piece on her recovery."

I chuckled and said my goodbyes, then dropped back into my chair and went back to sipping my wine and skimming my documents. It may have looked effortless in the moment, it had to, but appearing as an omniscient mistress of manipulation required a lot of work. Certainly it was made much easier and more feasible by the employment of a large and well-funded, well-trained, spy network, a cadre of a hundred expert analysts to interpret the intelligence gathered, and a dozen speech crafters to plan remarks for any and all occasions, and a horde of servants to take care of everything else. I thought of it as a grand performance; in a play, if everything is done right, the audience only sees the actors, never the hundreds of hands that make the performance possible.

I have a natural charisma, an above average intellect, and a well-earned social instinct, but I'd be the first to admit that I would never be achieve my level of success without such a well-developed support system. After a few minutes, Scrolls came back in, swapping out the documents yet again. "Sylona is waiting outside mistress." She pointed to one paper in particular, "I took the liberty of adding her file to the packet."

"Thank you Scroll, send her in." It was a good thing she'd brought the file, I try and get to know as many of my people as I can personally, but when the number reaches into the hundreds, it can get difficult to keep track of them all.

I skimmed over the dossier, Sylona Lorant, technically Lady Sylona Lorant. Daughter of a Dominus, a minor noble under the Countess of Bruma. She ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage, ended up on the streets of the Imperial city, Theodora found her and sent her my way. She'd been serving in the villa for the past year.

She was a wispy little thing, her Breton ancestry clear in her skin tone. I noted that she was one of those who had adopted the ways of Dibella into her uniform. She bowed low when she entered the room, then stood as stiff as a legionnaire on parade. "Thank you for taking the time to see me… I'm sorry I'm not sure what to refer to you as, my lady, or mistress?"

I set down the papers, "My lady, mistress, madam, whatever you like. Call me Bella if it you prefer. I'm not one for formalities with my staff." Mostly true, I usually just let them call me as they wished and never bothered correcting them.

"Alright my… Bella, I… I don't know how to go about this." The shyness, if I wasn't mistaken, was unusual for her. In the interactions with her that I remembered, she was a rather vibrant and outgoing girl.

"Please," I gestured towards the chair across from me, "make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink?" I refilled my glass, "If you would like something else, I can have Scroll get it for you."

She did as directed, maintaining her rigid posture, "No ma'am, I'm fine."

"Please, I abhor drinking alone." Certainly not true, I was no lush, but a stiff drink at the end of a long day was quite pleasant. And I had built up quite a tolerance, when one must at times attend seven balls in one night, one requires such. Still, she needed loosening up. "Here, I have just the trick."

I poured the wine back into the bottle and resealed it, putting it back in my desk. Then I stood up and turned to the painting behind me. I blew on it and the illusion and ward faded away, behind it lay a small shelf. On the shelf rested a small curved dagger with a blade of pure black glass, a book bound in dark red leather with glowing daedric runes on the cover, and a dusty glass bottle of amber liquid.

I grabbed the bottle, "I like to save this for special occasions, I don't know why." Opening the bottle, I filled my glass and hers, when I finished and resealed the bottle, it was still full. "There's some kind of enchantment on the bottle, it never empties, and no matter how hard you smash it, the glass won't break."

She eyed the liquid, "May I ask ma'am, what is it?"

I held the bottle up to the light, "I'll be honest, I don't quite know. Some kind of ancient barbarian sack-mead by the taste. The bottle's enchantment extends to the mead, preventing it from turning. My sister found it in a ruin and gifted it to me. She estimates it to date back to the time of Ysgramor, possibly being from Atmora itself."

"I can understand why you take it out so rarely." She raised her glass, "To the Goddess and your ladyship."

I raised my own and returned the toast, "To the Goddess and your ladyship."

She seemed surprised at the reciprocated respect, but we downed our drinks as one. A second later, we were both coughing and sputtering. The mead was probably the strongest drinkable alcohol in the Empire, if not Tamriel.

Sylona attempted to recompose herself, "It's… _cough_ … a touch strong Lady Bella."

I nodded, getting myself back in order. This always happened and I'd found a shared bout of coughing fits really shattered the ice. "Yes, now please, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

The shot of incredibly heady liquid confidence, had certainly helped shake her loose, still she spoke at the pace of a runaway horse. "My lady, Bella, you've been so kind. That is, to take me in. I want to do more to repay you." She grew oddly jittery as she spoke, and after finishing the sentence, she grabbed the bottle of mead and poured herself another glass, then slammed it back in a second shot. It went down easier this time, the second was always easier in my experience. Inured with this second dose of courage, she finally got to her point, "I wish to serve under Lady Cassiopeia."

I frowned, "I'm not quite sure you understand what that means."

She nodded in contradiction, "My lady I do, we, the other servants and I that is, we understand that a number of us undertake special tasks in the name of your ladyship at the direction of Lady Cassiopeia." I knew this of course, one could have such a large group of young people, or people in general, and expect rumors not to spread.

Sylona continued, her words still flooding out of her mouth like a dam had burst. "I expect I can be quite good at it. I am quite fast, and though not intensely strong, I am rather agile. I can climb well and I have good eyesight. I can transcribe documents quickly and I have a good memory." She was rambling now, this wasn't the first appeal I'd had to serve in such a capacity, but she certainly didn't fit the average mold.

Usually, they were quiet, calm, barely speaking as they took a seat in front of me. They rarely bothered with more than the basic respectful pleasantries before coming out with it. I glanced down at her file, she was only just seventeen, the same age as Auri. I looked back up at her, she was still going on. "…And, my lady, I don't think I'll have much trouble in seduction." To prove her point, she stood, reached behind her and pulled a ribbon at her waist. Her clothes fell away like petals on a flower and a second later, she was standing entirely naked before me.

She was beautiful for her age, though to my trained eye there were slight imperfections. There were some small bumps on her shoulders from her transition to womanhood that had yet to leave her. A small scar from some childhood accident resided on her knee. Her musculature was a tad uneven and parts of her skin were darker or paler than others. There were other bits and things that would go away with age and careful sculpting as they had with me. She would be a ravishing young woman. Still, there was more to seduction than that, and yet more to serving my interests as Cassie's ilk.

"Tell me Sylona," I stepped around the desk, "Do you truly wish to serve me this way? What makes me worthy of such dedication?"

On this, she spoke with conviction. "You have taken me under your wing Lady Bella, you have given me hearth and home and gave me a family better than my own blood ever provided. I will serve you in any way I can."

I closed my eyes, "If you do undertake this, you will be asked to do things you may not be comfortable with." I opened my eyes again and locked them with Sylona's, "Could you lay with someone, whispering your eternal devotion to them, be held in their arms, all while sliding a blade into their heart?"

I could practically see her heart flutter, but her voice was stone. "For you Lady Bella, certainly."

I pressed harder, hating myself for the harshness with which I laced my tone. "These will not all be evil men. I am not so arrogant as to believe my own interests synonymous with that of moral goodness. You may be asked to slip poison in a mother's drink as she reads to her child. You may have to pierce the heart of a priest with a bolt as he ministers his flock. You may have to paint heroes of the Legion as the lowest forms of degenerates. Can you do that?"

Again, with a voice of stone she assented, "yes."

I returned to my seat, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before reopening them. "Alright, I'll speak to Cassie about it, thank you."

"Thank you Lady Bella." She gathered up her clothes and took her leave, I poured myself another drink and went back to my papers. A claw dug at my heart, I don't enjoy sending my people into that particular trade. I accept it's necessity, and I deeply value all those who do it in my name, but turning what amounts to a relatively innocent girl or boy into a trained, ice hearted, killer feels somehow perverse. The trust and dedication to me certainly did nothing to alleviate that guilt.

Scroll returned, standing in the doorway, "The new arrival is here ma'am."

"Alright, please, send her in." My enemies claim I've turned my ancestral villa into a halfway house for the unwanted. As I've said, most of my staff came to me by way of seeking sanctuary. This is partly out of pragmatism and partly out of charity. My father taught me that an act of kindness in the darkest times of a person's life is one of the best ways to get you their loyalty. It was a fascinating enterprise to represent this to my fellow nobles. Pretending an act of charity is purely an act of pragmatism that I'm pretending is an act of charity is an interesting dance.

To my surprise and pleasure, this newcomer was a beautiful high elf in nothing but a long cloak and a set of my underwear. I grinned "Hello Psythia."

She grinned back, a little too darkly. That was her mistake. I grabbed the enchanted bottle and brought it up just in time as a spear of ice shot out at me. The enchanted ice met the enchanted glass, and the enchanted glass won. The magic of the ice broke and it dissipated into hundreds of shards on my desk. Immediately, I spun and grabbed the black glass blade, cutting a wide arc in front of me and sending a scythe of white magical energy hurtling at her.

She neatly sidestepped it and came at me with pair of bound daggers. I flipped over the desk, putting it between us and pointed the blade at her again, the magical energy came forward again, this time forming a bolt. She barely dodged it, stepping around the desk. She advanced on me, I retreated, the open bottle spilling a constant flow of sack-mead in my wake.

"The Thalmor send their regards." A braggart, perfect, just another step.

"Well, I should offer their messenger a drink then." I brought the bottle forward, flinging a large amount of the alcohol at her. She didn't even bother to dodge it, only looking at me in irritation.

"Really," she said angrily, "Accept your death with some dignity at least."

I smirked, "I'd rather not." I pointed the dagger again. The assailant dodged as yet another bolt came flying out.

But I wasn't aiming for her.

The bolt struck the trail of sack-mead, the strong alcohol lighting instantly. The flame raced merrily along the trail towards the elf. She leapt away from the flames, suddenly conscious of her own booze-assisted flammability. The distraction was only a second, but it was enough. I rapidly closed the distance between us. She brought her ethereal blades up to block, but she was off balance. I feinted high and dropped low, the heel of my foot connecting with her shin, then I surged up inside of her guard, planting my blade in the soft flesh behind her chin before twisting it in place and ripping it out.

Just as quickly as I'd advanced, I retreated. She took a step forward and lashed out weakly, her blade never coming close to me, before collapsing in a heap.

Taking a deep breath and a long exhale, I laid the blade and bottle on my desk and tossed away my now blood stained robe and stepped out of my study.

"Ma'am," Scroll looked at me in slight confusion.

"I'm afraid our new guest proved rather homicidal in intention and made a mess in the process. If you would be so good as to have it dealt with, I shall retire to my room for the evening." Scroll nodded and I turned for my bedroom.

"Thirty three and a half," I muttered.

 **...**

 **And we're back on our normal schedule.**

 **Listen guys, I've got a whole lot of ideas bouncing around in my head and the list is only growing. I've told you about this before, I'm looking for advice on what to continue with. So far I've got ideas going for Skyrim, Fallout 4, Mass Effect Andromeda, Ghost Recon Wildlands, GTA V, Dragon age, and Fallout New Vegas. Which one do you guys think I should do?**

 **Also, while we're on the subject of your input, I'm also considering when the best time to upload is, so I'm also looking for opinions on that. Is the current system of Thursdays and Fridays working well, would different days be better for you guys, and what times would you guys like. This isn't a content issue, so it doesn't really matter to me, I can do whatever's best for you guys.**

 **Give me your thoughts people.**

 **R &R**


	11. Chapter 11

I drifted through the halls to my bedroom like a storm cloud off of the Abecean Sea. The staff knew I was in a mood and avoided me, I was glad of that, I'd hate to have said something uncalled for. I've done that before, I hate myself afterward and I apologize to no end to whichever poor soul was on the receiving end, but I truly can't help it. I can control myself in the most stressful situations, but once I let my guard down and let go of the reins, it's hard to get a hold of them again.

My bedroom was deep in the east wing of the house, one of the most secure rooms in the building. Personally, I would have preferred to have it in the westernmost part of the building so that I could have the sunset, but Cassie had been able to climb down from the roof, enter through my wall to wall windows and put a blade at my throat. I thought I was perfectly safe considering she would be sleeping next to me and not putting any more blades to my throat.

A tiny smirk forced its way through the dark clouds of my mood. Well, she wouldn't be putting any more blades to my throat in _that_ way. A knife could be very fun in the bedroom if you knew what to do with it.

My bedroom was a relatively large space, designed entirely with comfort in mind. The ceilings were high, the ceiling hidden behind an illusion of the star-filled night sky, soft rugs covered every inch of the floor and a fireplace the size of a decent warhorse sat with a flame burning merrily within. A snow-bear pelt lay spread out in front of the fireplace. Various artwork covered the walls, and of course, the room was perfumed with lilies and vanilla.

Still, all of my focus was on the room's centerpiece, the bed. This, you could tell, I place a high priority on. My bed was massive, thirteen feet long and twelve feet wide, the sheets were silk, the mattress and pillows were filled with dove feathers, and the comforter was stuffed with down and an image of the Lady Dibella herself was embroidered on it.

With the door closed behind me, I strode across the room and flung myself onto the bed, burying my head in the fabric the same way I used to as a teenager. It had been a very long day, and a very long night was just around the corner.

"You have been busy." I heard the door close, I hadn't heard it open.

I turned my head so that the fabric didn't muffle my voice. "I don't know how you do that, that door squeaks like a mouse in heat when I open it." Cassie glided across the room, or she might as well have for all the sound she made.

"There was an assassination attempt." It wasn't a question, she crawled across the bed, coming to rest, straddling my thighs. Considering the feel of it, she was clothed, reminding me that I wasn't. "A high elf from the Rose, another piece of evidence at his grace's incompetence in regards to hiring assassins?"

"I doubt it, she claimed to be Thalmor, and considering her lack of skill, I'm inclined to believe her. I think she was a disposable, just a friendly reminder from our elven friends, they're watching, they can take a stab at me, and they have a whole lot more competent people to throw at me." She ran her hands up my back, tracing my tattoos. The vines running along my passion lines with lilies marking the major intersections.

"That's not what's bothering you though." Her fingers dug into the tensest of my muscles, expertly hitting the points along my passion lines to loosen them. Cassie's hands always amazed me, as delicate as a jeweler's, but strong enough to hang from buildings by her fingertips.

"No," she already knew what was bothering me.

"Your connection to the Rose is public knowledge, you yourself made it so. They planted an agent there because they knew that you would eventually be there, and they knew that someone else from the Rose was more likely to gain your trust." Her voice was steady, but firm. "They have no idea about her, this had nothing at all to do with her."

A roar burbled up my throat, and I tried to push myself up. "She was in the damn room, that high elf bitch was a few feet from my little girl."

Cassie shoved me back down without breaking stride. It was an interesting ability, to pin me to the bed while still providing an expert massage. "If they knew about Telain, they would have used used her." Her voice softened, "I'm an expert in this sort of thing in case you've forgotten."

I relaxed, fighting Cassie was probably one of the most idiotic pursuits that one could undertake, if she wanted me pinned to bed, I was going to be pinned to the bed. "Maybe so, but how much longer can we hide her. Nirus worked it out. For all their flaws, the Thalmor aren't stupid, their intelligence operatives will work it out eventually. The Temple of Mara knows or at least suspects." She knew what I was saying, four people could keep a secret as long as two of them were dead, and a lot more than four people knew or had the tools to learn this secret.

She raised off of me slightly, letting me roll over. She stared down at me with those penetrating brown eyes. "Babe," she said in that 'I love you, but you're being slightly insane,' tone that only she could manage. "I know your heart's in the right place, but I think that you are over worrying about Telain."

I let out a long exasperated sigh, "I know, but I don't want this life for her. I don't want her to grow up worrying about assassins, and backstabbing, and false friends." It was what I lived for, but it wasn't what Telain deserved.

Cassie rolled off and dropped onto the bed beside me, propping her head up on her elbow. "Bella, I know that's what you're trying to do, and I get that neither of us had a typical upbrining, but our little girl doesn't want a normal life either."

That actually made me laugh, small and cynical, but still a laugh. "She's living in a brothel surrounded by clerics of Dibella. I'd hardly call that normal."

I could almost feel her rolling her eyes. "Bella, you know what I mean. Telain is bored out of her mind, and she wants a chance to use what I've taught her." Of course she did, just seeing her working Isabur had reminded me that Telain had inherited Cassie's darker attributes.

It probably didn't help that Cassie spent more time with her. I can't say anything about her trying to be a bigger part of our daughter's life though. "Cassie, I love you, but if I don't want our daughter following in my footsteps, I really don't want her having an upbringing like yours." Assassin was about three rungs beneath political mastermind on the list of things I wanted my daughter to be. Oddly enough, prostitute was probably far higher on the list than on most parents.

That earned me smack on my thigh. "You know that's not what I meant. Esme and I have been talking."

I wasn't sure how I felt about where this was going. Esme was a Knight of the Lily, a very good one actually, extremely competent in combat and very devoted to the Goddess, but Telain wasn't old enough to squire. "And what have you been talking about?" I asked suspiciously.

"Your father is putting a new unit together." And this is where it was going.

"For Valenwood operations, I know." She couldn't be suggesting what I thought she was.

"Esme and I were talking about it, she's planning on signing on, and she wants to bring Telain with her." And she was suggesting what I thought she was.

"No," I sat up, locking eyes with her.

"Bella…" That patient tone vexed me.

"No," I climbed off of the bed, heading for the small table by the door where a servant had left a tea set.

"Bella," Cassie was two steps behind me. "You know this is the best solution, you can see the angles, but you don't want to see them. As long as she's in the Imperial City, she's guaranteed to be outed eventually. She's bored to tears with her life right now. This gets her out of the city, makes sure that the enemies are clear and in front of her, and gives us all a chance to see if this bloodlust is just a passing phase. It's the best possible solution."

Damn it, I knew all of that, I didn't want to, but I did. A thousand arguments came to my tongue, and died there as I realized they were all rhetoric. Good for tricking people into agreeing with me, but not actually based in logic. I angrily poured myself a cup of tea from the enchanted tea pot, unsure whether I was angry at myself, Cassie, the priesthood of Mara, or just reality in general. "I hate when you use logic to beat me," I grumbled in surrender.

"I know, but now I can beat you in far more pleasurable ways if you want." I could hear the smile in her voice as she wrapped her arms around my waist. She wasn't actually tall enough to look over my shoulder, so she just leaned around me and rested her head on my upper arm.

"Eh, fine." I certainly could use something to take my mind off of things.

 **...**

 **And that's it for this week. We're getting close to the end here guys, I've got two different endings planned out, one is quick, leaving only about two chapters more to go, the other is much longer, with four or five more chapters.**

 **I'm really considering the short version because I want to move on to another project, but I feel like the longer version shows more and is more satisfying. The ending is pretty much the same, just the long version includes more content.**

 **Also, and I cannot stress this enough, the next chapter is hardcore sexual content. Harder than pretty much anything else I've ever written. If this stuff makes you uncomfortable, just skip it.**

 **Seriously, it adds more characterization to Cassie and Bella, but nothing you need to see to understand the story. If you aren't sure if it's for you, play it safe and skip it. If you made it this far into the story, I feel like I can trust you guys to handle yourselves at your discretion.**

 **Either way, give me opinons, long ending, short ending, what should my next project be? Tell me what you guys think.**

 **R &R people.**


	12. Chapter 12

**STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP!**

. **HARDCORE SEXUAL CONTENT AHEAD, IF YOU AREN'T ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SURE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE INTO, SKIP AHEAD.**

. **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, DO NOT GET ME BANNED FOR YOUR CHOICES.**

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That was all the signal she needed, she spun me around, knocking the teacup out of my hand and gracefully snatching it out of the air without spilling a drop. Which proved quite redundant, as she followed it up by throwing the tea in my face. Shoving me back and slamming me against the nearest wall, she ran her tongue up my body, starting at my solar plexus, moving up my cleavage to my throat. She brought her teeth around my collarbone and bit down, hard.

I whimpered slightly as she drew blood, causing her to wrap her hand around my breast and dig her nails into it, raking them down, leaving little red streaks of irritated skin in their wake. This was that dark side of her that I didn't know what to do with… anywhere else but the bedroom. Here I knew exactly what to do with it. Here, I took a dark pleasure in it. Here, I reveled in it as much as she did.

She groped both my breasts, massaging them just hard enough to be painful. She used them like handles, pulling me lower, and planting her lips over mine. Her tongue forced its way into my mouth, dominating mine. She twisted my breast like a knob, eliciting a muffled groan, turning me around, then released her grip with a shove, knocking me down onto my back on the snow-bear rug.

She pounced on me like a tiger on a fox, "Roll over bitch."

I did as ordered, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in the rug, pushing up on my knees to bring my ass up. "Good bitch," I could hear that slash of a grin in her voice as her hand came down, eliciting a satisfying and painful smack, followed by another, then another, and another. Alternating from one side to the other, every third coming down dead center and sending vibrations right between my thighs. The vibrations brought me to the edge and I yearned for those third strikes, but then I felt Cassie invading my mind, filling it with one thought, "No."

She reached between my thighs and cupped me, her hand suddenly growing cold as ice, bringing me right back. I jerked away, but she shoved me right back down, "Stay on it, bad bitches get punished." I shivered as the cold spread over my most intimate regions, not a single hair to insulate them. She slowly moved her hand back, her frigid fingers never leaving my skin, slowly frosting over my juices as she moved up between my cheeks and began probing me. First one frigid finger, then two, then four, and finally her whole hand. The icy fist twisted inside of me, slow and gentle, a constant freezing fullness, incredibly uncomfortable and erotic at the same time.

Then, even with the cold, the slow movement, the pressure, the sensations rose again, ready to push me over the edge. And again, just when I was just inches from the point of no return, she stopped and slowly slipped her hand out of me.

Then for a moment, there was nothing, and I realized that I was panting.

"Just like a real bitch." Like a shadow, Cassie was back, and I felt the light constriction of soft leather suddenly encircling my neck.

The Collar.

With that, she unceremoniously pushed me over, onto my back again. She held up her hand, electricity crackling from one finger to the next. The grin cut across her face was terrifying and beautiful all at the same time.

Just the same as the first time I saw her face, all that was missing was the steel glinting in the moonlight.

She ran her hands over my nipples, giving them just enough of a shock to get me squirming. She leaned down, whispering, "I love the look of you right now," she nibbled on my ear. She spoke through her teeth as she pecked her way down the side of my neck with little bites, "Naked." She reached down and pressed on my maidenhood, "squirming."

"Oh!" I breathed at the sudden application of pressure.

"Vulnerable." She licked her lips, and gave my maidenhood a shock that sent me into spasms.

"You're my bitch, mine and no one else's." She brought her lips to mine again, the shocks didn't stop, but lowered in intensity. She pushed herself into my mind, and I let my psyche be overpowered, a wave of pure dominant energy flowed from her to me. I was hers, she was mine, I utterly and truly belonged to her, as she did to me.

My eyes snapped wide open and I stared deeply into the twisting constellations above. Ecstasy filled me and for the briefest moment, the feeling between the two of us was greater than mortally achievable

"Mistress!" I screamed, muffled by her mouth on mine, as we writhed together, our very souls connecting for the barest hint of a second.

She pulled away slowly, our synergy having been realized. "Now," she said, the knife slash grin growing, "Now the real fun can begin."


	13. Chapter 13

An hour later we were on the bed once again. Cassie was kneeling over me, running her hands over me, caressing my skin, her touch as delicate as the beat of a dove's wing. A low-level healing spell filling my body with warmth.

"You really shouldn't let me go so far on you." Cassie said quietly.

"Hmm," I half opened my eyes, "why not, we both love it?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you." She was always worried about that, worried that her darker urges would take her too far.

I sat up, reaching a hand around the back of her head, I looked her in the eyes, and I kissed her. Not like the others, the hard and hungry exchanges of passion, but instead a gentle brush of the lips. It lasted barely a moment, but it was as it always was, as intense as an oncoming storm

"Love, you will never hurt me." To others the look I gave her might have appeared predatory, and it was. To Cassie, however, it was reassuring, a reminder that she wasn't the only dangerous creature in our relationship.

"So," I laid back down, "How are we going to handle the situation with Livia? It's a given that she'll be staying here until her uncle dies, and probably a bit after that while we ensure he doesn't have any allies who might try to carry out his will after his death." There was a good chance that we would have to liquidate his whole staff and replace them with my people.

Cassie rocked back on her hips, "That's what she says she wants and that's what's best for her, and I think we should keep her under collar until then."

That was surprising, I gave her a curious look. "Are you sure? I know she likes being a full time submissive, but after what happened today…?"

Cassie rocked back on her hips, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. I knew the pose; it was how from her old life, a meditative pose that she used to hide emotions, emotions that she was raised to consider weakness. "You didn't see her face when I told her, that her own uncle was the one who ordered the hit, about the others who died." She looked back down at me, opening her eyes and showing more sadness in those deep amber pools than I'd seen in a long time. "It shattered her Bella."

Her eyes hardened and her tone took on the cool calculating tone she usually took when talking about business, it was her shield. "She's drained, and guilt-ridden, and broken, and terrified. Terrified of her uncle, terrified of the assassins, terrified that her sister's in danger, and terrified that once she assumes her title, it's only going to get worse."

I nodded, Livie thought of being countess the same way a little girl imagines being a princess. All parties, and parades, and handing out alms to the poor. She didn't think of the blood and the conspiracy that went on behind all that. "And being our little slave girl is a familiar and comforting place for her to retreat to. Handing over control to us let's her escape the pressure and worry about the future until she's ready to confront it."

Cassie closed her eyes again, her tone barely hiding her emotions. "She's desperate to find stable ground, seeking comfort in the familiar." She dropped down to the bed to lay her head beside mine, her eyes were still closed. "She begged for her collar when I got her to her room, those were the first words out of her mouth when we were alone." I could hear the grief seeping through and I rolled over, pulling her closer to me. "It was the only way I could get her to rest."

She returned my embrace, I knew this was tearing her up inside. After me, Livie was the most important person in the world to Cassie. I cared about her too, but I was a switch, I could dominate Livie and submit to Cassie and take pleasure in both, but Cassie was domme to Livie's sub, they had a bond that rivalled the one Cassie and I shared. I mentally cursed the count for hurting two of the people I cared so much about. "Alright," I said softly, "We'll keep her under collar full-time until she assumes her title. I'll arrange for one of the servants to bring her into our bed tonight."

She didn't say anything, just kissed me softly on the lips and hugged me a little tighter. I didn't get to see the vulnerable side of Cassie very often; I wasn't sure whether to be pleased it was still there or pissed that someone had pushed her this far.

We just laid there like that for a while, the room silent except for the crackling of the fire and the sounds of our breathing.

Sooner than I'd like, the moment was broken, a knock on the door came. "Come in."

A young Argonian maid stepped inside, "Pardon me mistress, Lady Cassiopeia, but there's an urgent message from your father."

"Something about Skyrim."

 **...**

 **Okay guys, this is just a tentative ending. I'm most likely going to come back to this later and continue, I've got more written, but my mind is dragging me in another direction right now. Those of you familiar with my other work know that my mind is bouncy and thus I shift focus a lot.**

 **Tomorrow, I'm debuting a fallout four story, Frigid Warrior (tentative title), which is a continuation of another unfinished story, shadows in the tunnel, that I eventually plan to do a rewrite on. If you're unfamiliar with SITT, don't worry, the benefit of Frigid Warrior being the sequel to an unfinished story is that I never got a chance to develop the lore too intensely, so it's should be pretty acessible. There are a few details that might seem out of place, but those should become clear as the story progresses.**

 **So I hope you all join me on that project, and I'll see you all then.**

 **R &R People **


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